The Famous Lincolnshire Sausage | Lincolnshire.org The Campaign to Protect the Lincolnshire Sausage Introduction to the Lincolnshire Sausage The Lincolnshire Sausage is a one of the UK’s favourite sausages. This celebrated pork sausage is one of the county’s most iconic food exports, alongside Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese and Lincolnshire Plumbread . Whether you’re having a full English breakfast, bangers and mash, toad in the hole, or a sausage casserole, using Lincolnshire Sausages will add a whole new dimension to your meal. The Lincolnshire Sausage even has its very own annual festival held in the grounds of Lincoln Castle and Lincoln Cathedral in October. For more information about the Select Lincoln Sausage Festival, please click here . It is thought that the Lincolnshire Sausage was first created in the 19th Century, but it is not known exactly when or by whom. The earliest recorded reference to a recipe for Lincolnshire Sausages was made in May 1886. However, the award-winning John Petit Butchers of Grimsby claims to have a family recipe that dates back to 1810.

What makes the Lincolnshire Sausage so deliciously different? There are two things that make the Lincolnshire Sausage stand out from its fellow sausages – flavour and texture. Flavour: Lincolnshire Sausages are flavoured with the herb sage. It is the sage that gives the Lincolnshire Sausage its distinctive taste. Sage was used in the original Lincolnshire Sausage recipes for two reasons: There has always been a plentiful supply of sage in Lincolnshire. Originating in the Mediterranean region, sage dislikes prolonged exposure to wet conditions. As Lincolnshire has one of the lowest annual rainfall levels in the UK, sage has always thrived in Lincolnshire soil. Sage is a good meat preservative. It is rich in the naturally occurring antioxidant phenoxyethanol, and has been used as a meat preservative since Roman times. Indeed, the herb sage may well have been introduced into Lincolnshire by the Romans. Texture: Lincolnshire Sausages are unique in that they contain coarsely ground pork (other types of sausage use minced pork). The mincing holes that are used to produce pork for traditional Lincolnshire Sausages have to be no less than 4.5mm in diameter.

This coarsely ground pork gives the Lincolnshire Sausage its distinctive, chunky texture. During the mixing process of sausage production, ice or water is often used to reduce the core temperature of the sausage-meat. This in turn allows the Lincolnshire Sausage to retain its distinctive texture when cooked. Owing to this coarse texture and high meat content, it is recommended that Lincolnshire Sausages are cooked slowly in the oven, rather than quickly on the hob. Traditional Lincolnshire Sausage Ingredients Traditional Lincolnshire Sausages contain just 6 ingredients: Coarsely ground Lincolnshire pork (minimum70%) Breadcrumbs or rusk The campaign to protect the traditional Lincolnshire Sausage In 2006, the Lincolnshire Sausage Association was formed, comprising of Lincolnshire farmers, butchers and food producers. Alarmed by a new type of inferior quality, mass produced Lincolnshire Sausage flooding the market (containing a lower meat and higher fat content, plus a mixture of synthetic additives), the Lincolnshire Sausage Association wanted to protect the quality and reputation of the traditional Lincolnshire sausage.

It wanted the Lincolnshire Sausage to be awarded the same protected status that foods such as Stilton Cheese, Melton Mowbray Pork Pies, Cornish Clotted Cream and Jersey Royal Potatoes have. And so, the campaign to protect the traditional Lincolnshire sausage was launched. The Lincolnshire Sausage Association applied to have the Lincolnshire Sausage granted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Status, which would mean that the Lincolnshire Sausage could only be made in the county of Lincolnshire, using Lincolnshire pork and the traditional recipe. Unfortunately in 2012, DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs) turned down the application. Despite having over 150 Lincolnshire sausage makers in the county, DEFRA ruled that as the vast majority of Lincolnshire Sausages were made outside the county to a recipe that could be replicated anywhere, the Lincolnshire Sausage should not be awarded PGI status. The Lincolnshire Sausage Association continues in its fight to have the Lincolnshire Sausage awarded PGI status.

More delicious Lincolnshire Food Lincolnshire sausage | Recipes Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Share Lincolnshire sausages are a distinctive variety of pork sausage developed in and associated with the English county of Lincolnshire. A widely available variety at most UK butchers and supermarkets, the sausage is commonly dominated by the herb sage, rather than the more peppery flavour balance found in other regional English sausages such as the Cumberland sausage. Other herbs such as parsley and thyme are often used, although these are not authentically considered Lincolnshire sausages. Lincolnshire sausages are also characterised by their open, chunky texture, the result of the constituent pork being coarsely ground rather than minced. Homemade free range Lincolnshire sausages - YouTube Homemade free range Lincolnshire sausages Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Jul 13, 2012 Homemade free range Lincolnshire sausages are made following the traditional recipe made famous by the great flavour of the Lincolnshire sausages. The main herb used to give an outstanding flavour to these sausages is sage. For great quality, buy Homemade free range Lincolnshire sausages from Category Lincolnshire Sausages | Lincolnshire Sausage Recipe | Gloriously Good Food Lincolnshire Sausages | Lincolnshire Sausage Recipe Posted on by gloriouslygoodfood Lincolnshire sausages are a firm Sunday breakfast favourite in our house! Naturally, therefore, after the Sardinian Sausages , our next foray into sausage-making had to be Lincolnshire Sausages… After a bit of playing around to get the quantities right on the herbs and seasoning, hubby and I are delighted that we’ve cracked it and made bangers to be proud of! 🙂 The quantities indicated here will make approximately 25-30 sausages, depending on how long & thick you make yours. Ours were very chunky indeed! You can use collagen casings but we’ve opted for natural ones.

The large ones you use for making Lincolnshire Sausages are quite easy to use even if you buy them as hank, as we did on this occasion, but in future we will buy them spooled as they should be even easier to handle. I found a site that sells them HERE . A huge ‘thank you’, on this occasion though, to Ben Marshall Butchers at Doncaster Market , for supplying us with the casings and for the outstanding quality of the meat they sold us 🙂 Ingredients: 1.7kg pork (mixture of shoulder & belly) – ask your butcher to remove the rind, leaving as much fat as possible on and then cut into chunks you can put through your mincer/grinder 360g breadcrumbs (use fresh soft bread – not with hard crusts – and put through a food processor to make crumbs) 3tsp fine sea salt Natural Hog Casings (casings for thick sausages) Method: Add the salt, pepper, coriander, sage leaves and nutmeg to the meat and mix together (you can leave to marinate/infuse for a couple of hours if you like). Put through a meat grinder/mincer on a wide/chunky setting.

Make the breadcrumbs in a food processor, then add to the meat, herb & seasoning mixture and add the water and cornflour. Mix well by hand to ensure the flavours and all ingredients are evenly spread. The breadcrumbs and meat will absorb the water and you’ll end up with a pasty/sticky mixture. Thread the natural casings over your sausage maker nozzle and feed the mixture through. Do this slowly and let the sausages get as thick as you’d like them to. Work on a long continuous length for each 10-12 sausages, twisting to separate each time you’ve reached the desired length for one sausage. You can then either refrigerate/freeze them linked as they are, or separate by cutting through at the twisting points with scissors and freezing them individually. These Lincolnshire sausages are very cost-effective (ours worked out at about £0.50 per sausage to make) and you know exactly what’s in them! Food doesn’t get much better 🙂 Update 9th November 2015 Emma Simkiss and her husband chose this recipe to use for Emma’s first video on her brand new YouTube channel…it’s a fab video! Take a look: Gloriously Simple, Gloriously Good!

Spice and Herb Guide Below are the names, origins and suggested uses for many herbs & spices. I will add more herbs and spices to this list as time allows. If you have any additional information or requests for information, please email me and I will answer you as soon as possible. Spice & Herb Guide Allspice Allspice is the dried, unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. After drying, the berries are small, dark brown balls just a little larger than peppercorns. Allspice comes from Jamaica, Mexico, and Honduras. Allspice is used in Jamaican jerk seasoning and in Jamaican soups, stews, and curries. It also is used in pickling spice, spiced tea mixes, cakes, cookies, and pies. Food producers use it in ketchup, pickles, and sausages. Aniseed Aniseed, sometimes spelled as anise, anis or anise seed, is considered a spice with a sweet licorice-like taste.

Both seed and leaves from the plant pimpinella anisum carry the licorice taste, but in recipes, either whole or ground seeds are usually used to add distinctive flavors to food. Since aniseed is native to the Mediterranean, you�ll find it used in a number of Greek and Turkish dishes, but its popularity has certainly spread to many other countries and the plant proliferates in the wild in North America. The Greek drink ouzo has a distinctive aniseed flavor, as do the similar Italian Sambuca, the French Pernod, and the Turkish Arak. It is used in breads, a number of desserts, and also quite often in savory dishes like Indian curries, mole, and a variety of fish and meat dishes, pickles, stews, seafood, beets, cauliflower and pasta sauces. Basil The dried leaves and stems of an herb grown in the United States and North Mediterranean countries. Has an aromatic, leafy flavor. The flavor and aroma of basil is most intense during the summer months, when it is abundant. For flavoring tomato dishes and tomato paste, turtle soup; also use in cooking peas, squash, snap beans; sprinkle chopped over lamb chops and poultry.

Since the oils in basil are highly volatile, it is best to add the herb near the end of the cooking process, so it will retain its maximum essence and flavor. There are two varieties: Turkish (1 to 2 inch long oval) and California (2 to 3 inch long narrow) leaves. The Turkish is said to have the better flavor. Bay Leaves The dried leaves of an evergreen grown in the eastern Mediterranean countries. Has a sweet, herbaceous floral spice note. For pickling, stews, for spicing sauces and soup. Also use with a variety of meats and fish. They are used as a spice in breads, especially rye bread. Rye bread is denser because the limonene from the caraway fruits has yeast-killing properties. Caraway Seeds These small dark seeds of a plant grown in the Netherlands. Flavor that combines the tastes of Anise and Dill. For the cordial emmel, baking breads; often added to sauerkraut, noodles, cheese spreads. Also adds zest to French fried potatoes, liver and canned asparagus. It is also used to add flavor to cheeses such as havarti.

Caraway seed oil is also used as a fragrance component in soaps, lotions, and perfumes. Cardamom In India Cardamom is traditionally used in curry blends, and in Scandinavian countries it is commonly added to breads; however, most of the world's Cardamom crop is used in Arabic countries as a flavoring for coffee. A small amount of Cardamom will add a tempting flavor to coffee cake, Danish pastry, specialty breads, and apple pie. Try Cardamom the Arabic way and add a little to your ground coffee before brewing, then sweeten and top with cream. Cardamom comes from India, Guatemala, and Ceylon. Cayenne Pepper The Cayenne, or Guinea pepper, or Bird pepper is a hot, red chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. The fruits are generally dried and ground, or pulped and baked into cakes, which are then ground and sifted to make the powdered spice known as cayenne pepper. Hot and spicy, cayenne pepper is available year round adding zest to flavorful dishes around the world and health to those brave enough to risk its fiery heat. It is excellent added to cheese dishes and creamy sauces and soups.

The common name "cayenne" was actually given to this pepper because of its cultivation in a town that bears the same name in French Guiana on the northeast coast of South America. Cayenne pepper is an excellent source of vitamin A. It is also a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese and dietary fiber. Cayenne pepper should be kept in a tightly sealed glass jar, away from direct sunlight. Chervil Available as fresh leaves or dried and crushed. Fresh has a hint of anise and dry has a hint of parsley flavor. That subtle, tender flavor-part anise, part parsley-that you've been trying to identify in the fish sauce, will almost certainly turn out to be chervil. Subtlety is key when using chervil in cooking. Although chervil will never dominate a dish, many cooks use it to enhance the flavors of other herbs accompanying it in recipes. Chervil is an important inclusion in the traditional French fine herbs blend of tarragon, parsley, chives and chervil. Chervil complements scrambled eggs and omelets, fish, poultry, cream cheese and herb sandwiches, salads and even mashed potatoes.

Chili Flakes Chili flakes are the dried seeds of chili pods. The seeds and membranes are the hottest parts of a chili. The amount of heat in chili flakes depends on the variety of chili pepper and where it was grown. Crushed dried red chilies can be added to or sprinkled over all kinds of dishes. You can easily make your own by drying fresh red chilies on a radiator and then crumbling them with your fingers. To preserve full flavor, always store in the refrigerator. For a spicy oil, combine 1-2 tablespoons of chili flakes with a cup of your favorite vegetable oil. Lightly simmer for about 10 minutes, allow to cool completely, then strain. Stored in the refrigerator, this oil will keep for about 6 months and can be used in salad dressings, marinades and to spice up your favorite saut�. Chinese five-spice powder This is a mixture of ground spices, including anise pepper, cassia, fennel seeds, star anise and cloves. It is a powerful mixture, so use sparingly. When you try this seasoning you will be surprised at how beautifully the flavors -- sweet, warm, cool and spicy -- blend.

This is an extremely versatile mixture suited to rice, vegetables, pork and virtually any type of stir fry. A pinch can add new excitement to muffins, nut breads, or even waffle batter. Chives An herb which resembles hollow blades of grass, and the smallest member of the onion family. Chives have a mild onion flavor. Available as fresh or freeze-dried hollow stems. Delicate and peppery, mild onion flavor. Often snipped and sprinkled on food just before serving for seasoning. Use for potatoes, eggs, sauces, seafood and salads. Cilantro An herb with wide delicate lacy green leaves and a pungent flavor. The seed of the cilantro plant is known as coriander. Although cilantro and coriander come from the same plant, their flavors are very different and cannot be substituted for each other. (Some countries refer to the cilantro as coriander, so any references to "fresh coriander" or "coriander leaves" refer to cilantro.) All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the most commonly used in cooking.

Coriander is commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, South Asian, Mexican, Latin American, Chinese, African and Southeast Asian cuisine. Use for salsa, tomatoes, chicken, pork and seafood. Cinnamon Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. It is commonly used in cakes and other baked goods, milk and rice puddings, chocolate dishes and fruit desserts, particularly apples and pears. It is common in many Middle Eastern and North African dishes and in flavoring lamb. It is used in curries and pilaus and in garam masala. It may be used to spice mulled wines, creams and syrups. The largest importer of Sri Lankan cinnamon is Mexico, where it is drunk with coffee and chocolate and brewed as a tea. This warm spice is available in sticks and ground into powder, and has many uses. Cinnamon is also reported to be useful in regulating blood-sugar levels in diabetics. Cloves Available in whole or ground, these dried flower buds are used in savory and sweet dishes. Ground cloves are strong so use sparingly. The word �clove� is from the Latin word for �nail� � clavus.

The clove is native to the North Moluccas, the Spice Islands of Indonesia. It is cultivated in Brazil, the West Indies, Mauritius, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar and Pemba. Cloves can easily overpower a dish, particularly when ground, so only a few need be used. Whole cloves are often used to �stud� hams and pork, pushing the tapered end into the meat like a nail. They enjoy much popularity in North Africa and the Middle East where they are generally used for meat dishes, though rice is often aromatized with a few cloves. Cloves are often used to enhance the flavor of game, especially venison, wild boar and hare. Coriander Coriander is probably one of the first spices used by mankind, having been known as early as 5000 BC. The Romans spread it throughout Europe and it was one of the first spices to arrive in America. Coriander is not interchangeable with cilantro, although they are from the same plant. Ground Coriander seed is traditional in desserts and sweet pastries as well as in curries, meat, and seafood dishes with South American, Indian, Mediterranean, and African origins.

Add it to stews and marinades for a Mediterranean flavor. Available whole or ground, this warm, aromatic spice is delicious with most meats, particularly lamb. Cumin This warm, pungent spice works well with meats and a variety of vegetables. Cumin "seeds" are actually the small dried fruit of an annual plant in the parsley family. Native to the Mediterranean, cumin is hotter to the taste, lighter in color, and larger than caraway, another spice it's sometimes confused with. Sold whole or ground, the seeds come in three colors: amber, white or black. Amber is most widely available, but the black has such a complex flavor it should not be substituted for the other two. Cumin is a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern, Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisines, and is one of the main ingredients in curry powder. Goes well with beans, chicken, couscous, curry, eggplant, fish, lamb, lentils, peas, pork, potatoes, rice, sausages, soups, stews, eggs.

Curry Powder Curry powder is a blend of up to 20 different herbs and spices, including the commonly used: cardamom, chilies, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, pepper, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind and turmeric (which gives curry its characteristic golden color). In Indian cooking curry is freshly ground each day (making it far more flavorful and pungent than the mixes sold in the store), and comes in "standard" and "Madras" (hot) versions. For all Indian curry recipes such as lamb, chicken and rice, eggs, vegetables and curry puffs. Dill The small dark seed of the dill plant grown in India, having a clean, aromatic taste. Dill seeds are used as a spice, and its fresh leaves, dill, and its dried leaves, dill weed, are used as herbs. Like caraway, its fernlike leaves are aromatic, and are used to flavor many foods, such as gravlax (cured salmon), borscht and other soups, and pickles (where sometimes the dill flower is used).

Dill is said to be best when used fresh, as it loses its flavor rapidly if dried; however, freeze-dried dill leaves preserve their flavor relatively well for a few months. Dill is a predominant seasoning in pickling recipes; also adds pleasing flavor to sauerkraut, potato salad, cooked macaroni, and green apple pie. Fennel Seeds These little green seeds have a sweet, aniseed-like flavor that pairs well with chicken and fish. Fennel goes well with fish and is used in Italian sausages and some curry powder mixes. Toasting Fennel Seeds accentuates their flavor. Fennel Seed added to meatballs or meat loaf gives an authentic Italian flavor. Saute Fennel Seed with sliced peppers, onion, and sausage for a quick pasta sauce. Refreshing fennel can be added raw to salads, blanched and char-grilled on a barbecue or tossed into stir-fries. Garam masala This mixture of ground roasted spices is made from cumin, coriander, cardamom and black pepper and is used in many Asian dishes. Ready-mixed garam masala is widely available, although the flavor is better when the spices are freshly roasted and ground.

Garlic Fresh, dried and powdered garlic are available in markets throughout the year, however, fresh varieties from California are in season from June through December. Garlic is arranged in a head, called the "bulb," averaging about 2 inches in height and diameter consisting of numerous small separate cloves. Both the cloves and the entire bulb are encased in paper-like sheathes that can be white, off-white or pinkish. Although garlic cloves have a firm texture, they can be easily cut or crushed. The taste of garlic is like no other-it hits the palate with a hot pungency that is shadowed by a very subtle background sweetness. While elephant garlic has larger cloves, it is more closely related to the leek and therefore does not offer the full health benefits of regular garlic. Mild and aromatic, the first of the new season's garlic can be eaten raw in dips or marinades, or blanched and roasted for a creamy accompaniment to roast chicken. Ginger Ginger is a spice which is used for cooking and is also consumed whole as a delicacy or medicine. It is the underground stem of the ginger plant, Zingiber officinale.

The ginger plant has a long history of cultivation, having originated in Asia and is grown in India, Southeast Asia, West Africa and the Caribbean. Its actual name is Root Ginger. Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added as a sweetener; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes and Chinese cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or mutton and vegetarian recipes. Powdered dry ginger root (ginger powder) is typically used to spice gingerbread and other recipes. Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1 part ground, although the flavors of fresh and dried ginger are not exactly interchangeable.

Ginger is also made into candy, is used as a flavoring for cookies, crackers and cake, and is the main flavor in ginger ale�a sweet, carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage, as well as the similar, but spicier ginger beer which is popular in the Caribbean. Fresh ginger should be peeled before being eaten. For storage, the ginger should be wrapped tightly in a towel and placed in a plastic bag, and can be kept for about three weeks in a refrigerator and up to three months in a freezer. Mace Mace is the aril (the bright red, lacy covering) of the nutmeg seed shell. Mace and nutmeg are very similar, though mace is somewhat more powerful. Mace is a lighter color and can be used in light-colored dishes where the darker flecks of nutmeg would be undesirable. A small amount will enhance many recipes, adding fragrance without imposing too much flavor. Mace works especially well with milk dishes like custards and cream sauces. It contributes to flavoring light-colored cakes and pastries, especially donuts. It can enhance clear and creamed soups and casseroles, chicken pies and sauces. Adding some to mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes creates a more interesting side dish.

Some beverages improve with a little mace, especially chocolate drinks and tropical punches. Marjoram What�s the difference between marjoram and oregano? Oregano was long considered �wild marjoram� but the plants do not look particularly similar. To confuse matters further, marjoram is a member of the mint family and considered the twin of thyme. Marjoram has a more mild, sweet flavor than oregano with perhaps a hint of balsam. It is said to be �the� meat herb but compliments all foods except sweets. Common to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods, marjoram is grown domestically and imported mostly from Egypt. Dried, the herb holds that lovely fragrance and its flavor much better than other herbs do when dried. Marjoram combines well with other seasonings and will enhance so many different dishes. Consider it a natural for meat dishes but don't hesitate to use marjoram to season vegetables served cooked or raw, fish and chicken or dishes with eggs and/or cheese. It is especially good along with other herbs in beef stew. Mint Mints are aromatic herbs. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem.

The leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams. In Middle Eastern cuisine mint is used on lamb dishes. In British cuisine, mint sauce is popular with lamb. Mint essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavorings in breath fresheners, drinks, antiseptic mouth rinses, toothpaste, chewing gum, desserts, and candies. The substances that give the mints their characteristic aromas and flavors are menthol (the main aroma of Peppermint, and Japanese Peppermint) and pulegone (in Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint). The compound primarily responsible for the aroma and flavor of spearmint is R-carvone. Methyl salicylate, commonly called "oil of wintergreen", is often used as a mint flavoring for foods and candies due to its mint-like flavor. Mustard Seed Available ground or as seeds, Mustard seeds are the small seeds of the various mustard plants. Pungent, sharp, hot flavor. The seeds are about 2 mm in diameter, and may be colored from yellowish white to black.

They are important spices in many regional cuisines. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard (B. nigra), brown Indian mustard (B. juncea), and white mustard (B. hirta/Sinapis alba). It is often referred to as "eye of newt. Use for meats, vinaigrettes, seafood and sauces. MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a sodium salt of the non-essential amino acid glutamic acid. It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavor enhancer. Trade names of monosodium glutamate include Ajinomoto, Vetsin, and Accent. It used to be predominantly made from wheat gluten, but is now mostly made from bacterial fermentation; it is acceptable for celiacs following a gluten-free diet.

A report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) compiled in 1995 on behalf of the FDA concluded that MSG was safe for most people when "eaten at customary levels." However, it also said that, based on anecdotal reports, some people may have an MSG intolerance which causes "MSG symptom complex" � commonly referred to as Chinese restaurant syndrome � and/or a worsening of asthmatic symptoms. Subsequent research found that while large doses of MSG given without food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in individuals who believe that they react adversely to MSG, the frequency of the responses was low and the responses reported were inconsistent, not reproducible, and were not observed when MSG was given with food. While many people believe that MSG is the cause of these symptoms, a statistical association has not been demonstrated under controlled conditions, even in studies with people who were convinced that they were sensitive to it.

In the 2004 version of his book, On Food and Cooking, food scientist Harold McGee states that "[after many studies], toxicologists have concluded that MSG is a harmless ingredient for most people, even in large amounts." Although once associated with foods in Chinese restaurants, MSG is now used by most fast food chains and in many foodstuffs, particularly processed foods. Nutmeg Nutmeg or Myristica fragrans is an evergreen tree from the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia, or Spice Islands. Until the mid 19th century this was the world's only source. Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree. Nutmeg and mace have similar taste qualities, nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavor. Mace is often preferred in light dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like hue it imparts. Nutmeg is a tasty addition to cheese sauces and is best grated fresh. Nutmeg is a traditional ingredient in mulled cider, mulled wine, and eggnog. Oregano Oregano is an important culinary herb. It is particularly widely used in Greek, Spanish and in Italian cuisine.

It is the leaves that are used in cooking, and the dried herb is often more flavorful than the fresh. Oregano is often used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables, and grilled meat. Together with basil, it contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes. Oregano combines nicely with pickled olives, capers, and lovage leaves. Unlike most Italian herbs, oregano works with hot and spicy food, which is popular in southern Italy. Oregano is an indispensable ingredient in Greek cuisine. Oregano adds flavor to Greek salad and is usually added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies many fish or meat barbecues and some casseroles. The dish most commonly associated with oregano is pizza. Its variations have probably been eaten in Southern Italy for centuries. Oregano became popular in the US when returning WWII soldiers brought back with them a taste for the �pizza herb. Paprika Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried Capsicum (e.g. bell pepper).

Paprika is principally used to season and color rice, stews, and soups, such as goulash and in the preparation of sausages as an ingredient that is mixed with meats and other spices. It is often smoked to draw additional flavors. In Spain, paprika is known as piment�n, and is quite different in taste; piment�n has a distinct, smoky flavor and aroma, and is a key ingredient in several sausage products, such as chorizo or sobrasada, as well as much Spanish cooking. Parsley Parsley is the world's most popular herb. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning "rock celery" (parsley is a relative to celery). Available as fresh leaves, curly or Italian (flat leaf), or dried and flaked. Fresh, slightly peppery flavor. Whenever possible, choose fresh parsley over the dried form of the herb since it is superior in flavor. Choose fresh parsley that is deep green in color and looks fresh and crisp. Just like with other dried herbs, if you choose to purchase dried parsley flakes, try to select organically grown parsley since this will give you more assurance that the herbs have not been irradiated.

If you have excess flat leaf parsley, you can easily dry it by laying it out in a single layer on a clean kitchen cloth. Once dried, it should be kept in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark and dry place. Curly leaf parsley is best preserved by freezing, as opposed to drying. Although it will retain most of its flavor, it has a tendency to lose its crispness, so it is best used in recipes without first thawing. Use for poultry, seafood, tomatoes, pasta, soups, and vegetables. Pepper Pepper is the world's most popular spice ; a berry grown in grapelike clusters on the pepper plant. The berry is processed to produce three basic types: black, white, and green. Black is the strongest (slightly hot with a hint of sweetness) flavor of the three. White peppercorn is less pungent. Black and white are available whole, cracked, and ground. Green peppercorns are packed in brine and are available in jars and cans. Whole peppercorns freshly ground with a pepper mill deliver more flavor than pre-ground.

Goes well with cheese, eggs, fish, game, lamb, pork, poultry, salad, sausages, soup, steaks, strawberries, tomatoes, veal. Poppy Seeds The seed of a flower, grown in Holland. Has a rich fragrance and crunchy, nut-like flavor. The white poppy seeds form part of the Indian spices. They are added for thickness, texture and also give added flavor to the recipe. The sugared, milled mature seeds are eaten with pasta, or they are boiled with milk and used as filling or topping on various kinds of sweet pastry. Milling of mature seeds is carried out either industrially or at home, where it is generally done with a manual poppy seed mill. Poppy seeds are widely used in Karnataka cuisine, Turkish cuisine, Andhra cuisine, Bengali cuisine, Oriya cuisine, German cuisine, Slovak cuisine, Czech cuisine. Excellent as a topping for breads, rolls and cookies. Also delicious in buttered noodles. Rosemary Rosemary is a woody herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. The fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine; they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements a wide variety of foods.

A tisane can also be made from them. When burned they give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavor foods while barbecuing. Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6. Avoid consuming large quantities of rosemary if pregnant or breastfeeding. Delicious in lamb dishes, in soups, stews and to sprinkle on beef before roasting. Saffron Coming from the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus, it takes 75,000 blossoms or 225,000 hand-picked stigmas to make a single pound which explains why it is the world�s most expensive spice. Available as threads (whole stigmas) or powder. Pungent, bitter flavor. Most specialty food shops carry saffron, though if it has sat on the shelves for too long it may have lost flavor, so look for bright color. Saffron appears in Moorish, Mediterranean and Asian cuisines. Its most common function is to color rice yellow, as in festive Indian pilaus and risotto Milanese, where its delicate flavor make it the most famous of Italian rice dishes.

It combines well with fish and seafood, infamous as a key ingredient of Spanish paella as well as bouillabaisse. In England, saffron is probably best known for its use in Cornish saffron buns where it is paired with dried fruit in a yeast cake. Because of its expense, intense flavor, and strong dying properties, very little saffron is required for culinary purposes and the key is to distribute it evenly throughout the dish being prepared. Use for bouillabaisse, curries, fish, poultry and rice. Salt Salt can be used in moderation to add flavor and to bring out the taste of other foods. It also acts as a preservative when it is used in pickling and chutney-making, or when curing meats and fish since it draws out the moisture and prevents decomposition. Table salt can be purchased with or without iodine. Sea salt has a slightly stronger taste than table salt. Sage Peppery-tasting safe has large, slightly furry leaves when fresh. In Western cooking, it is used for flavoring fatty meats (especially as a marinade), cheeses (Sage Derby), and some drinks.

In the United States, Britain and Flanders, sage is used with onion for poultry or pork stuffing and also in sauces. In French cuisine, sage is used for cooking white meat and in vegetable soups. Germans often use it in sausage dishes, and sage forms the dominant flavoring in the English Lincolnshire sausage. Sage is also common in Italian cooking. Sage is saut�ed in olive oil and butter until crisp, then plain or stuffed pasta is added (burro e salvia). In the Balkans and the Middle East, it is used when roasting mutton. Dried sage goes particularly well with pork or in pasta sauces and in stuffings. It has a very strong flavor, so use in moderation or it will overpower the dish. Great for meat and poultry stuffing, sausages, meat loaf, hamburgers, stews and salads. Savory Savory: an herb so bold and peppery in its flavor that since the time of the Saxons it has come to denote not only the herb itself, but also a whole segment of cooking. It is synonymous with tasty and flavorful foods. Available as fresh leaves, dried and crushed or ground. Piquant blend of mint and thyme.

Because the leaves are so tender they can be added fresh to salads or used as a toothsome garnish. One efficient way to preserve that fresh, summery flavor is to bottle the herb in vinegar at the height of the season. The ancient Romans were reported to have used savory vinegar as one of their main condiments as well as using savory liberally in their sauces. Savory also dries well. Once dried and chopped, it is an integral part of many herb mixtures, such as Herbs de Provence. This blend of Mediterranean herbs brings out the best in stews, vegetable dishes, pizza toppings, and shines as a seasoning for roasting meats and fish. Also use for beans, lentils, lamb and poultry. Sesame Seeds Sesame seeds add a nutty taste and a delicate, almost invisible, crunch to many Asian dishes. They are also the main ingredients in tahini (sesame seed paste) and the wonderful Middle Eastern sweet call halvah. They are available throughout the year. Add sesame seeds into the batter the next time you make homemade bread, muffins or cookies. Sesame seeds add a great touch to steamed broccoli that has been sprinkled with lemon juice.

For healthy saut�ed chicken with sesame seeds, tamari, garlic, ginger and your favorite vegetables for a healthy, but quick, Asian-inspired dinner. Also use for breads, chicken, seafood, noodles, chickpeas. Tarragon This fragrant herb has a strong aniseed flavor and is most often paired with fish and chicken dishes. Tarragon is commonly known as a flavoring for vinegar and is used in pickles, relishes, prepared mustards, and sauces. Tarragon also goes well with fish, meat, soups and stews, and is often used in tomato and egg dishes. Tarragon adds distinctive flavor to sauces. Tarragon adds flavor to egg and cheese dishes, light soups and fresh fruits. To baste chicken, fish or seafood, blend Tarragon with butter, chives, and lemon. Thyme The leaves are stems of a shrub grown in France and Spain. Has a strong, distinctive flavor. A delicate looking herb with a penetrating fragrance, thyme is a wonderful addition to bean, egg and vegetable dishes. Both fresh and dried thyme is available in your local supermarket throughout the year.

Fresh thyme should be stored in the refrigerator wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel. Dried thyme should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place where it will keep fresh for about six months. Thyme, either in its fresh or dried form, should be added toward the end of the cooking process since heat can easily cause a loss of its delicate flavor. Add thyme to your favorite pasta sauce recipe. Fresh thyme adds a wonderful fragrance to omelets and scrambled eggs. Hearty beans such as kidney beans, pinto beans and black beans taste exceptionally good when seasoned with thyme. When poaching fish, place some sprigs of thyme on top of the fish and in the poaching liquid. Season soups and stocks by adding fresh thyme. Turmeric A root of the ginger family, grown in India, Haiti, Jamaica and Peru. Turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger, and while it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives ballpark mustard its bright yellow color. Turmeric powder should kept in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark and dry place.

Fresh turmeric rhizome should be kept in the refrigerator. If you are able to find turmeric rhizomes in the grocery store, you can make your own fresh turmeric powder by boiling, drying and then grinding it into a fine consistency. Add turmeric to egg salad to give it an even bolder yellow color. Mix brown rice with raisins and cashews and season with turmeric, cumin and coriander. Turmeric is a great spice to complement recipes that feature lentils. Give salad dressings an orange-yellow hue by adding some turmeric powder to them. As a flavoring and coloring in prepared mustard and in combination with mustard as a flavoring for meats, dressings and salads. Vanilla Dried vanilla pods (beans) are long and black, encasing hundreds of tiny black seeds. Natural vanilla extract is distilled from vanilla pods and is a useful alternative to pods. Vanilla extract is the most common form of vanilla used today. When choosing pure vanilla, check to make sure the color is clear, it is pure, synthetic vanillin, and is also called crystal vanilla. A dark, murky color is also synthetic vanillin, probably ethyl vanillin derived from coal tar.

The dark color may be due to a red dye that has been banned in the US or a caramel coloring. A true amber color is an indication of natural vanilla. Also check the alcohol content: Synthetic products have either no alcohol or up to 2% alcohol. Some vanilla-vanillin blends may have 25% alcohol. Price: Vanilla is extremely labor intensive to produce. If you paid $20.00 for a big bottle (even in Mexico), is not pure vanilla extract. How to store: Extracts can be stored indefinitely in a sealed airtight container kept in a cool dark place. Do not refrigerate vanilla extract. Goes well with apples, apricots, chocolate, custards, fish, fruit, ice cream, plums, shellfish. Old Fashioned English Spiced Pork And Herb Sausages Or Bangers! Recipe - Breakfast.Food.com Pulled Pork, 21 Ways Directions Combine all the meats with the fresh breadcrumbs, grated onion, lemon rind, nutmeg, parsley, dried herbs,pepper & salt. Mix well, it's better to mix this together with your hands. Bind with the 2 beaten eggs & mix well again.

At this stage you can chill the sausage mixture in the fridge - it's easier to handle when it is slightly firmer. You can also use the mixture for stuffing at this stage too. When you are ready to cook the sausages or to shape them ready for freezing, form the mixture into sausage shapes - using a little flour to help you. Dip the sausages into the beaten egg white and then dust lightly with the flour and set aside until ready to cook. Heat up the oil and butter together in a large frying pan and cook the sausages for about 10-15 minutes over a medium heat. Turn them regularly to ensure they brown evenly. Drain them on a paper towel & serve hot with mashed potatoes & onion gravy for "Bangers & Mash" or use them in Toad-in-the-Hole as well as serving them for cooked breakfasts & brunches. They are delicious served cold with chutney too. HERBS NOTE:. I generally use a pre-mixed home-made dried mixture of Sage, Parsley, Thyme & Majoram. However any combination of dried herbs would be good - but NOT Rosemary as it is too pungent & will overpower the other flavours.

One herb which is ALWAYS a must no matter what combination you use, is Sage - it has a wonderful affinity with pork & pork sausages in particular! I also use fresh herbs when they are available in my herb garden. Use at least double the quantity of fresh herbs as they are not as strong as dried herbs. Chop or mince very finely. Hope that helps! Sausage Varieties | Sausage Links Sausage Varieties Sausage Varieties It is estimated that there are around 400 sausage varieties available in the UK. Most are variety for varieties sake and the majority of sales will be of only 3 or 4 varieties. We have listed the key sausage varieties and types. Whenever we try a new butcher we always buy the butchers sausage first – it is the classic on which any sausage maker should be judged. What are your favourite sausage varieties? Which part of the country are you from? Use the feedback form to nominate your best (and worst) sausage varieties and remember to tell use which part of the country you are from. We will update this page with the results. Cumberland Sausages This is considered to be the meatiest British sausage.

It is a chunky, course cut sausage spiced with black pepper and made in a continuous spiral. It is traditionally sold by length rather than weight. Looks very impressive when coiled in a spiral and cooked whole Chipolatas Derived from the Italian word cipolla, meaning onion (something rarely found in a British chipolata). They are thin sausages made from lamb intestines and are thought to be good for children. Given a choice we rarely eat them because the small size means they are dryer than standard sausages Beef Sausages More popular in Scotland (although beef and tomato is common south of the border) Beer Sauasges Beer or ‘ale’ works very well in pork sausages and there are many made with the local beer. Beef and Guinness is also good Boerewors South African for ‘Farmers Sausage’. There are many varieties, in the UK they are usually made with beef and pork fat (but can be made with pork, beef or mutton). Flavourings usually include coriander and vinegar.

They are either cooked on the grill or barbeque (braai in Afrikaans) Black pudding A key part of the traditional cooked breakfast, black pudding is pig’s blood in a length of intestine. It has had a poor press in the UK but in Europe it is a gourmet delicacy. Our pudding is usually bound with oatmeal and rusk with cubes of fat added. It is either boiled or fried in slices. It goes very well with apple and is becoming a fashionable ingredient. Look out for apple, pork and black pudding sausages Bratwurst Long German sausage made with either pale pork or veal. Onions and egg are often added and they are usually grilled or fried Breakfast Sausages A mildly spiced pork sausage. Some exotics contain the full cooked breakfast – egg, bacon and black pudding (hmm) Butchers/plain/farmhouse Sausages The best selling traditional sausage which probably accounts for more than half of all sales. This should be your butchers pride and joy, a simple sausage with mild herbs and spices. It is the benchmark sausage which we always try first Chorizo Spicy Spanish sausage made with pork, red pepper and paprika. It can be smoked or unsmoked.

Smoked can be eaten raw and treated as salami, treat unsmoked chorizo as a raw sausage Glamorgan A bit of a misfit – the only vegetarian sausage here and as it is skinless not really a sausage. Anyway, this is traditionally made with breadcrumbs, cheese (often Caerphilly), chopped spring onions, egg and seasoned with herbs Gloucester Traditionally made with Gloucester Old Spot (a rare breed) and flavoured with sage. Increasingly available from local specialists Gluten Free Sausages A sausage made without cereals, aimed at coeliacs (who cannot eat cereal products) and sausage fans. Either made with no binders and 100% meat or with rice flour as the binder Cotechino and Zampone Italian boiling sausages, traditionally used in bolito misto and often served with lentils. Zampone is made from a stuffed pig’s trotter Haggis Haggis is perhaps the best known Scottish delicacy, and it can be wonderful. Like black pudding it is not for the culinary faint hearted but is worth taking the risk! Haggis is made from sheep’s offal (or pluck).

The windpipe, lungs, heart and liver of the sheep are boiled and then minced. This is mixed with beef suet and lightly toasted oatmeal. This mixture is placed inside the sheep’s stomach, which is sewn closed. The haggis is traditionally cooked by boiling (for up to three hours) although a part-cooked haggis can be cooked in the oven which prevents the risk of bursting Hogs pudding This is a West country haggis; it is usually based on groats (unpolished barley) and filled into ox casings, however it can be closer to a meat white pudding (see below). It can be made with meat or pluck (heart, liver and lungs). We like the version made with groats and fry ours so the skin splits, the filling crisps up and the groats start popping! Lamb Sausages A Welsh favourite, often combined with leek, mint or rosemary.

Can be fatty so grilling is often best Italian Sausages Strong tasting sausages often made with 100% meat and flavoured with pepper, fennel and chilli, They can be spicy and are good for cooking (try them in a sauce with pasta, polenta or with beans). Luganiga is another style which is made in continuous links and can be made with fresh parmesan. As with all Italian fresh sausages it is worth a try Lincolnshire Sausages Old fashioned herby regional sausage traditionally made with pork, bread and sage (although thyme seems to be creeping in) Lorne Bit of an oddity, this is Scottish square slicing sausage.

It is made with beef and pork, has a smooth texture and is probably destined for either the breakfast table or eaten in a sandwich with white sliced bread and brown sauce Marylebone A traditional London butchers sausage made with mace, ginger and sage Merguez A spicy, red sausage from North Africa, made with either beef or lamb flavoured with harissa (a hot chilli paste based on chilli, garlic and olive oil) or paprika, following the north African theme they are good with couscous Oxford A regional sausage made with pork, veal and lemon. Herbs are usually sage, savory and marjoram Pork & apple (West Country) Pork with apple and often cider or scrumpy, generally makes a moist sausage. Sage is often used, they are available nationally but very popular in the West Country.

Traditionally made with Gloucester Old Spot which where reared in orchards and would have eaten the windfall apples Pork & leek (Welsh) Attractive green flecked sausages, popular in Wales where ginger is sometimes added, pork and chive also works well Pork and honey The honey gives a sweet taste, often described as a children’s sausage (our junior tasters agree) Scottish Sausages Not a flavour but a different style, Scottish sausages are generally smoother and more pate like than the rest of the country. Given the popularity and quality of beef in Scotland, it is not surprising that beef sausages are also more popular north of the border Suffolk How to make perfect sausages - Telegraph How to make perfect sausages Lincolnshire food maven Rachel Green delivers a sausage masterclass to Xanthe Clay. Xanthe lends Rachel Green a hand preparing her mouthwatering Lincolnshire sausages Photo: MARTIN POPE Comments Rachel Green, cook, food writer and latter-day Ma Larkin, certainly knows her sausages. Hailing from a 400-year-old line of Lincolnshire farmers, she remembers making them with her mother and grandmother.

“We kept pigs, and we ate sausages three or four times a week.” Not that everything was a rural idyll. “My father used to hang them in the cellar till they were furry, then wash it off and eat them. I don’t recommend that.” In her own kitchen, in an old farmhouse near the pretty town of Market Rasen, she showed me how it’s done – her way. Her Jack Russell crosses Billy and Fudge skittered around our feet, their nails scrabbling on the stone floor, and we munched on Green’s cherry and almond cake as she showed me the ingredients. In the old days, her family, like most farmers, made sausages from the leftover “bits and bobs” but nowadays Green prefers pork shoulder “because it has the fat running through that gives it flavour and makes it moist”. Her butcher, Nick Bradley at Sunnyside Up Farm Shop, had minced it for her, adding a fistful of extra fat for good measure. The meat glistened as Green scattered over white pepper, chopped sage and salt.

This is the mix for a proper Lincolnshire sausage, currently fighting for PDO (protected designation of origin) status, meaning it will have to be made in the county, from specified ingredients, to a specified standard. Related Articles Goodbye El Bulli, the genius that inspired a thousand restaurant disasters 27 Jul 2011 Next into the bowl went a couple of handfuls of dry breadcrumbs. These are crucial to good sausage texture. Although some mass market brands have too much “filler” added (legally a sausage needs to be 30 per cent meat, and a “pork sausage” has to have 42 per cent pork) it is a mistake to look for 100 per cent meat in a British sausage. The crumbs absorb some of the fat, giving texture and evening out the juiciness. “Have you ever had a gluten-free sausage? Hard!” announced Green ruefully. A quick call to Bradley corroborated her recipe. “Eighty five per cent meat is right, then rusk, water, seasoning and herbs.” What about all the other things I’ve seen on the ingredients list? The preservatives, nitrates, phosphates, soya protein, flavour enhancers?

Bradley sounded gratifyingly shocked. “You don’t need any of those in a sausage.” It was time to get my hands dirty. “Get stuck in,” Green instructed, and I worked the mixture together, trying not to sneeze as the pepper rose, the cool, herb-fragrant mass squelching between my fingers. Green splashed a couple of tablespoonfuls of water over it all. Isn’t that the sort of gimmick unscrupulous manufacturers use to bulk their sausages up? “You have to add a bit of water. Not much, mind. During the Second World War they added a lot of water, and the sausages burst as they cooked – that’s why they were called bangers.” The water is essential to partially rehydrate the breadcrumbs; Bradley recommends an equal volume of crumbs to water. Once my mix had been approved, Green produced her sausage-stuffer, effectively a hand mincer with a spout attached, and screwed it to the worktop. Electric ones are faster and easier than manual stuffers, which are essentially a two-person job to use; but the manual ones are cheaper and less bulky, making them a better bet for beginners. Now for the skins.

Natural sausage skins, known as hog casings in the trade (there are ox and lamb ones for beef and lamb sausages too), arrive salted, and need soaking overnight before using. Artificial ones, made usually from beef collagen, are available, and manufacturers love them for their consistent size and thickness. They aren’t for Green, though. “Like edible plastic, horribly tough,” she told me dismissively, feeding the fine white membrane of the natural casing over to the spout, bunching it up at the far end. “Now, does this remind you of anything?” Well, as it happens, yes. It’s all a bit like a school family planning lesson – but no sniggering in the back row for me. As Green turned the handle, my job was to massage the meat slowly extruding into the casing, making sure it filled it evenly without air bubbles. Suddenly the casing tore and the sausage meat squished between my fingers. “That’s torn it!” Green giggled, removing the mangled pink mess and competently squeezing out the mixture to just above the tear. “Just knot it there, it’ll be fine.

Make sure it’s not overfilled, it needs to be pliable enough to link.” Deftly she twisted along the rope of meat, making neat lengths while the dogs watched, heads cocked hopefully. Green scooped up the finished sausages for me to admire. “When you look at a sausage you should be able to see all the components, the little pieces of meat, bits of fat, the herbs.” So, now do we get to eat them? “No, they need a day to rest in the fridge first, so the breadcrumbs can plump up.” I was beginning to feel as plaintive as Billy and Fudge, but Green is not one to let her guests go home hungry. Yesterday’s sausage hoard was soon sizzling gently in a pan to give them an even colour, rather than blasting them with a high heat.

“The great thing about sausages,” said Green as she piled my plate high with scarlet griddled peppers and tight-skinned bronzed bangers, “is you can eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner.” You can buy sausage-making equipment similar to Rachel Green’s (costing £22.95 + p&p) as well as casings at, (0845 643 6915) Rachel Green will be cooking recipes from her book Sausages: Making the most of the Great British sausage (Green Shoots £7.99) at the Ludlow Food Festival on Sunday September 11. On the same day you can join the Ludlow Sausage Trail, with tastings at the town’s famous butchers and the chance to vote for the best banger. Homemade Sausages | The Campaign for Real Farming Tweet HOMEMADE SAUSAGES It’s probably not worth making less than 10lb of sausages at a time. The cuts of meat you use will depend on the fat content of the pork. Traditional breeds with a very good covering of fat, such as Tamworths, are probably best made from the shoulder.

Less fatty pigs will be better if you use half shoulder and half fat belly pork. Modern, very lean pigs will need to be mixed with pure back fat, which is not easy to come by nowadays, or use just the belly. If the meat is too lean the sausage will be dry, whilst a fatter sausage can be cooked in a way that renders much of its fat. To 10lb of boned pork add 3 oz salt (2%) and 1½ lb (15%) white day-old bread. Hogs casings, soaked in cold water Herbs, spices and flavourings to taste (see below) The meat should be kept as cold as possible, so work in a cool room and return the meat to the fridge until it is needed. Begin by roughly cutting the meat so that is easy to feed through the mincer. Fit a coarse disk into the mincer and mince the meat into a large mixing bowl (for very coarse sausages dice by hand). When you have minced all of the meat, follow with the bread. Sprinkle over the salt, fresh herbs, spices and other flavourings as required. Mix thoroughly.

It is a good idea to cook up a teaspoon of the mixture to check the flavourings before making the whole batch. Remove the mincing blades and fit a stuffing nozzle onto the mincer. Take about a metre length of hogs casing from its soaking water, tie a knot in one end of the casing, place the open end over the nozzle and then feed the casing on until you reach the knotted end. The next stage is much easier with two people, one to keep feeding the stuffing into the machine, and the other to control how tightly stuffed the casing becomes. This is done by holding the casing firmly in place on the nozzle and releasing more only as the casing becomes full. If you overfill the casing it will burst and you will have to feed the stuffing back through into a fresh casing. Remember also that you will need some room for the filling to move when you form the sausages. Hogs casings should however give you nice plump sausages, about 6 to a pound of meat. These will cook better than small thin sausages. Stop filling when you get close to the end of the casing, but leaving enough room for tying the sausages before knotting off the end.

To form the links hold the entire casing up by its middle and twist it to form the first link. Then twist at the required intervals going in opposite directions for each sausage to prevent the links unravelling. Flavourings: Below are some traditional regional recipes, but essentially chose what you like. Parsley, black pepper, mace and lemon rind are a favourite combination of mine. Sage is very traditional. A proportion of bacon in the meat is also very interesting. Cambridge Sausage Effectively the Cambridge Sausage is the standard British sausage, flavoured with sage, thyme, cayenne, ground mace, nutmeg, pepper and salt. To 2½ lb minced pork add 6 oz of fresh breadcrumbs and ¾ oz salt plus: 1 tsp fresh sage 1 tsp. Salt freshly milled black pepper Mince the pork and veal together. Coarsely grate the beef suet and mix with the meat and remaining ingredients. Form into sausages with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Leave overnight to firm up and develop their flavour before cooking.

Gloucester Sausage This is similar to an Oxford sausage in that beef suet is added rather than pork fat, however the seasonings are more like that of a Cambridge Sausage and they are always put into their skins. NB I have specified fresh herbs in all of the above recipes. If you must substitute dried, halve the quantities.

Question: Which herb is traditionally used to flavour Lincolnshire sausages?
Answer: Sage