Cumberland & Black Pudding, Sausage Rolls

Ever since Christmas, when we had some frozen cocktail sized sausage rolls that were completely ghastly and about as removed from a sausage roll as it was possible to get, I've been craving "proper" sausage rolls.

Now, I made some sausage rolls around 5 or 6 years ago which were treated with such derision by the family, that I've never tried again.  True, it may have had something to do with the pastry - as my pastry has, historically, been random in its results - and I prefer shortcrust, whereas hubby prefers puff.  Either way, it resulted in my resolving to never try to make the blooming things again.

However, my yearning for a sausage roll that actually contains sausagemeat instead of moist cardboard has turned the tide and in the spirit of compromise, I made some - using shop bought puff pastry.

The next problem was the sausage meat - what sort of sausage would hubby prefer?  I was determined not to fail, you see.  After some negotiation, we were agreed on some of Spring Fields Cumberland sausages, stripped of their skins and (as a final flourish from hubby's imagination) with a little black pudding crumbled in.

Gosh, but they were good.  We had them for tea last night and they were just the job - and again for lunch today.  There's still four or five left, so we're sorted for another lunch too.  Not bad value, considering the whole lot probably cost £5 (ingredients, not counting the cost of baking them) and you certainly wouldn't find sausage rolls of this quality in the supermarket.

CUMBERLAND & BLACK PUDDING SAUSAGE ROLLS  (makes 12 rolls)

Ingredients :

8 chunky Cumberland sausages, skins removed
50-100g black pudding
Ready-rolled puff pastry
an egg

Method :

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 180deg C.  Lay out the pastry and roll it gently to flatten and reduce the thickness, taking care to maintain the rectangular shape.

2.  Divide each piece into two rectangular halves.

3.  Along each half, place the sausage meat in an even roll - stretching it to thin it out a little, if you're lucky enough to have really chunky sausages.

4. Slice enough black pudding (to taste : I used around 75g) and chop it into small pieces.  Sprinkle a quarter along the sausage meat, pressing it in slightly.

5.  Break the egg into a cup and whisk lightly.  Then, brush a little onto the clear side of the pastry.

6.  Roll the pastry with the sausage meat on it, towards the egg washed side, taking care to roll in a straight line, so that both sides meet - preferably with a little overlap.

7.  Sit the roll down on to the join and press lightly to secure it.

8.  Cut the roll into three and place each roll onto a non-stick baking sheet.

9.  Once all are assembled, egg wash each roll and place into the oven to bake for some 25-30 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

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