Bangers and Mash

[Jonty]

<we had a bit of a family celebration today, hence the bottle of fizz - but after a long day out and about, we couldn’t face cooking our planned meal so opted for bangers and mash with some Yorkshire Puddings on the side.  Gravy and stuffing courtesy of a packet - it all tasted bloody lovely though 👍 

[JohnfromUK]

Looks very nice; the sort of meal I like (as long as they are decent sausages). 

I tried some "Firecracker" sausages last night.  https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/317862842

Didn't do any photos, and sausages were OK, but the flavour didn't really work for me (hot, but not interesting hot if that makes sense!). I'd rather have decent sausages and add any 'heat' I want myself.

[welsh1]

Looks great 

[bruno22rf]

Different but then the best meals are often last minute concoctions,agree with comments regarding good sausages but I swear that some brands change from week to week - we've been buying Porky Whites for months now but the last pack were flavourless, before that it was Black Farmer but they went the same way. Mind you Richmond bucks the trend - they've been consistently awful.

[JohnfromUK]

13 minutes ago, bruno22rf said:

comments regarding good sausages but I swear that some brands change from week to week - we've been buying Porky Whites for months now but the last pack were flavourless, before that it was Black Farmer but they went the same way. Mind you Richmond bucks the trend - they've been consistently awful.

some brands change from week to week - Agreed

Black Farmer but they went the same way - I have quite liked these when I've tried them

Mind you Richmond bucks the trend - they've been consistently awful. - Again, agreed

I get M&S Cumberland or M&S 'Butchers' - (both full sized and chipolatas).  They do vary quite a bit, but when good they are very good and when less good, they are still pretty acceptable (in my views).  They are also (especially the 'Butchers') among the less expensive that M&S sell.  My guess is that they have several factories/suppliers who work to the same (presumably M&S provided) recipe - as the 'coarseness' of the filling varies quite a lot between batches.

Unfortunately, although we have two local (different nearby towns) butchers who both do a range of home made sausages, but I have not found any that I have tried to be particularly good (again my view).  Not bad, but a LOT more expensive than the M&S I find equally good and more trouble to drive there, park (and pay to do so), and have to 'shop' - whereas M&S comes delivered to my door in my weekly groceries order.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

And so it continues, the search for the perfect banger.

 

We live in hope.

[JohnfromUK]

7 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

And so it continues, the search for the perfect banger.

 

We live in hope.

A previous local butcher in my parents time got very close.  It was (quite surprisingly) quite 'bready', very black peppery, but lovely flavour and the meat there was excellent quality.  Sadly no longer with us.

[claydodger]

9 hours ago, Jonty said:

<we had a bit of a family celebration today, hence the bottle of fizz - but after a long day out and about, we couldn’t face cooking our planned meal so opted for bangers and mash with some Yorkshire Puddings on the side.  Gravy and stuffing courtesy of a packet - it all tasted bloody lovely though 👍 

Certainly not a bad looking plate full.

[ditchman]

that is food porn...

[TIGHTCHOKE]

1 hour ago, JohnfromUK said:

A previous local butcher in my parents time got very close.  It was (quite surprisingly) quite 'bready', very black peppery, but lovely flavour and the meat there was excellent quality.  Sadly no longer with us.

Yes indeed, I regularly shot in Kent with an Essex pig owner who would bring me several pounds of the most wonderful pork sausages every couple of weeks.

 

No contact anymore now I live so far north....................

[amateur]

50 odd years ago, there was a butcher in Sevenoaks who made an exceptional, very coarse cut, herby sausage. I've never found any as good since, and, of course, he is long gone.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

7 minutes ago, amateur said:

50 odd years ago, there was a butcher in Sevenoaks who made an exceptional, very coarse cut, herby sausage. I've never found any as good since, and, of course, he is long gone.

Can you remember the name and where he was?

[ditchman]

QUESTION

were we governed by the EU as to the ammount of rusk/crumb to meat ratio we must use before we could call/sell it as a sausage

i prefer sausages with a high rusk/crumb content...so when you cut them in half you can see they are crumby not rubberery

are we still controlled leagally as to the ratio of meat to crumb ??

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Standards

The meat and ingredients used in assured pork sausages meet the scheme’s requirements including maximum permitted limits

How you will be measured

All pork and pork ingredients (including fat and rinds) used are Red Tractor assured (or equivalent) and meet the pork quality attributes
Pork is either fresh or frozen
The meat content of a pork sausage is at least 52%, with the definition of meat being as defined in legislation. The meat content may include:
fat up to 30%
connective tissue up to 25% collagen/ protein ratio
neck end/ jowl meat up to 10% (unless trimmed of all glands) e.g. maximum of 5.2% in a 52% pork content sausage
rinds, or dehydrated rinds that have been rehydrated in line with manufacturer’s instructions up to 10% e.g. maximum of 5.2% in a 52% pork content sausage
Other ingredients used in pork sausages are used in accordance with legal requirements. Ingredients may include:
a maximum of 1.38g salt or 550mg sodium per 100g of raw sausage meat; with the product range average not exceeding 1.13g salt or 450mg sodium per 100g sausages
added Phosphate (E450, E451, E452) up to 0.5% of the total recipe
natural and artificial colours up to legislative limits
the use of preservatives permitted by legislation
the use of preservative sulphur dioxide up to 450ppm of the final product at point of sale
Natural or artificial casings are used. Natural casings do not need to derive from an assured source

[JohnfromUK]

1 minute ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Standards

The meat and ingredients used in assured pork sausages meet the scheme’s requirements including maximum permitted limits

How you will be measured

All pork and pork ingredients (including fat and rinds) used are Red Tractor assured (or equivalent) and meet the pork quality attributes
Pork is either fresh or frozen
The meat content of a pork sausage is at least 52%, with the definition of meat being as defined in legislation. The meat content may include:
fat up to 30%
connective tissue up to 25% collagen/ protein ratio
neck end/ jowl meat up to 10% (unless trimmed of all glands) e.g. maximum of 5.2% in a 52% pork content sausage
rinds, or dehydrated rinds that have been rehydrated in line with manufacturer’s instructions up to 10% e.g. maximum of 5.2% in a 52% pork content sausage
Other ingredients used in pork sausages are used in accordance with legal requirements. Ingredients may include:
a maximum of 1.38g salt or 550mg sodium per 100g of raw sausage meat; with the product range average not exceeding 1.13g salt or 450mg sodium per 100g sausages
added Phosphate (E450, E451, E452) up to 0.5% of the total recipe
natural and artificial colours up to legislative limits
the use of preservatives permitted by legislation
the use of preservative sulphur dioxide up to 450ppm of the final product at point of sale
Natural or artificial casings are used. Natural casings do not need to derive from an assured source

I wish you hadn't posted that!  🤮

[TIGHTCHOKE]

[welsh1]

9 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

And so it continues, the search for the perfect banger.

 

We live in hope.

Years ago i lived in Tidworth in Hampshire, the next village across Ludgershall had a master butcher who was consistantly the "sausage champion of the uk", he made amazing sausages,must have had 20-30 different sausages all made by himself on the premises, chilli beef and tomato used to be a favourite and a good old pork and herb was a winner everytime, think his son now runs the butchers, next time we are up there we will have to take a look and see if he has his dad's skill.

[ditchman]

i think the sausages i really liked 

had

1. no bloody hearbs and spices
2. were 60% crumb
3. and you had to pearce them before cooking

Edited October 28 by ditchman
percieved bad language when dealing with a sausage

[Bigbob]

58 minutes ago, ditchman said:

i think the sausages i really liked 

had

1. no bloody hearbs and spices
2. were 60% crumb
3. and you had to pearce them before cooking

Most sausages today seem to have a fair bit of herbs and spices in them That much it seems thats all you can taste  

[ditchman]

59 minutes ago, Bigbob said:

Most sausages today seem to have a fair bit of herbs and spices in them That much it seems thats all you can taste  

you are sooo right........there should be plain sausage choice.....its all this bloody european influence...bleedin herbs with everything

[amateur]

10 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Can you remember the name and where he was?

He was at the top end of the town, in one of the little alleyways that ran between the High St and London Road. 

When, 10 years later, I worked in Otford, I went looking for the shop, but it was long gone, along with my memory of his name.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

1 hour ago, amateur said:

He was at the top end of the town, in one of the little alleyways that ran between the High St and London Road. 

When, 10 years later, I worked in Otford, I went looking for the shop, but it was long gone, along with my memory of his name.

A great shame, I'm originally from Borough Green and married an Otford girl.

[bruno22rf]

10 hours ago, ditchman said:

you are sooo right........there should be plain sausage choice.....its all this bloody european influence...bleedin herbs with everything

Pork doesn't have a great amount of taste though so adding the correct amount of herbs, IMO, adds to the product but I think larger brands see it as a cheap way of boosting flavour and maybe using cheaper cuts of meat.If you are ever in Buckingham there's a very good Butcher (Smith and Clay) that sell a selection of top quality sausages inc Venison - well worth a try and the "older"chap in there is real old school gentleman that knows his stuff.

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, I like Beef Sausages , 🤔

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, I like Beef Sausages , 🤔

I'm with you on that.  The M&S Aberdeen Angus Beef & Pepper Sausages are very nice.