M&M Rutland of Melton Constable - Pea & Pesto Sausage

“Pea and pesto sausages? Nah. That won’t work.” Thus spake Old Bob in The Woolpack two weekends ago. He likes his food does Old Bob, and he’s very well travelled, eating the local grub wherever he’s been. And he knows a lot about food, Old Bob. He never misses Ready Steady Cook neither. The man’s a walking (well, more…..shuffling) culinary encyclopedia. I wondered whether his prediction about M&M Rutland’s Pea & Pesto creations would hold water.

Thinking about it rationally, there does seem – to me – to be a particular risk in this combination of ingredients. Adding herbs to pork is standard practice for producing a good sausage. The word pesto is derived from the Italian verb “pestare”, meaning to crush or grind (and is thus the source of the English word pestle, used to pound herbs in the mortar). Combine ground-up herbs, a little olive oil, maybe a tomato or a bit of a pepper? How could that spoil a sausage? Surely it could not. But peas? They’re traditionally a companion in the cooking pot with lamb, not pork. “Lamb and PEAS” Vic Reeves used to bellow. So how would this banger “pan out” (geddit?).

Meat Content:92%. Like many flavoured sausages the meat really acts as the supporting act to the other ingredients, nice in itself but not the main focus. As mentioned in their previous review, Rutland’s pork is very tasty indeed. Thus, the minor partner in this ensemble is a star performer in its own right. These bangers are meaty enough to satisfy any self-respecting carnivore’s needs.

Flavour:This sausage “looks pea, tastes porky pesto”. I don’t know how that’s done but it’s a neat trick. Sweet is the word here – the locally-reared pork is sweet and the pesto flavour adds to that sweetness, this really is one sweet banger. There’s a mild tomato-ey-ness going on too, thanks to the pesto I suppose. I really must ask the Rutlands what’s in their pesto. The Pea & Pesto bangers start off fairly small, and go on to shrink to little imperfectly-formed bombs of flavour.

Texture:In a word, lovely! If you crush a slice under the knife it doesn’t spread like marge (no offence Homer) in the way that some mass produced abominations we’ve tested would, but breaks apart, reluctantly. The six slice test was not easy due to the diminutive dimensions (supplementary information alert – diminutive and dimension are not borne of the same root, after all, a dimension may be large as well as small. Diminutive shares ancestry with “diminish”, their predecessor being the Latin verb “deminuere”. Sausages AND etymology, you lucky people). This is a solid, firm and pleasingly resisting sausage.

Shrinkage:
Average weight uncooked - 52g
Average weight cooked - 41g

Shrinkage - 21%

As mentioned in “Flavour”, these do shrink, but that seems to gather the tastes and tones tighter together.


Value For Money:

£2.53 for 4 sausages weighing 207g. Mind you, as I am such a highly-respected sausage commentator (no sniggering at the back!) I kind of got “mates rates”. The retail price of these sausages is £10.83 per kg = 63p per snorker.

And Finally Esther:Enjoyable, different, well put together. Tasty! I can’t really pretend that the Pea & Pesto is a contender for Best Banger In The World, but it’s an unusual and surprising and thoroughly enjoyable type of sausage. Was Old Bob right or wrong? I have my opinion, but I’m keeping it to myself. Get yourself to Melton Constable, buy some, and decide for yourself!

USA Review 2 - Shady Brook Farms Hot Lean Italian Turkey Sausage

Tonight's sausage dinner was made with my daughter clinging to my leg and screaming "I want more Dora! I want more Dora!" at the top of her lungs. There is no evening t.v. for the toddler in the house, so she decided to try to play chicken with touching the stove/oven in protest.


Arrrgghhh!!!!


But anyway, tonight's dinner was Shady Brook Farms Hot Italian Turkey Sausage. Shady Brook Farms sounds like a very traditional family farm name. In my opinion, it sounds more like the name of a retirement village. However, if you look closely at the package, in very small print by the UPC label, it says Cargill. Cargill is one of the giant meat monopolies (in fact, THE biggest meat monopoly), errr, conglomerate. Normally, I try to not eat mass-produced meat due to personal preference, but in the realm of sausage in the regular grocery store, it's hard to avoid. Due to this problem, I am thinking of asking Santa for an electric meat grinder with sausage making attachment this year. It sounds like a great cooking adventure, but 1) do I have space in the kitchen? (no), and 2) would it collect dust? (maybe), and 3) the microwave broke and needs replacing.

Shady Brook Farms' sausage comes in a package of 6 for $3.99. Ingredients: Turkey, Water, Salt, Spices, Sugar, Paprika, Potato Extract, Calcium Lactate, Calcium Alginate Casing. Today, I cooked it in a skillet with olive oil, onions, green peppers, and various whatnot of spices in the cupboard. I did notice for the first time that the instructions on the back do say to use non-stick cooking spray, I have always used olive oil though.

There is a large water content to this sausage, so it takes a while to brown properly. The links splatter like mad fireworks despite the splatter shield over the pan. If I'm not in a hurry, I usually brown this over high heat on the stove then throw them in the oven to cook through. In order to avoid a medical calamity with my child, today was skillet-only on my smaller back burner, and they took forever to cook through.

I believe the lack of the usual browning method led to this sausage tasting rather blah, not entirely bland, but blah, compared to usual. Mostly, it tastes like fennel, lots of fennel, everywhere. Oh look, there's even more fennel in that slice. I think it will taste better tomorrow after it has sat in the fridge with the peppers and onions overnight. As for the "hot" factor, weeellll, it's a miss. There must be some red pepper in there because it's not what I would call totally mild or flavorless, but not spicy or "hot" at all. As for texture, it's moist and spongy. Think wet-ish Spam type consistency.

I have served this sausage at my annual Holiday party before with much success, but it tasted infinitely better than how it came out tonight. I would not serve tonight's rendering to guests.

While I'm thinking about it, what exactly is Calcium Alginate? According to Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_alginate. Goo begotten from seaweed. Well if I ever get on a quiz show, I now know the answer to that one. Wouldn't it just be easier to wrap the sausage in a nori wrap like sushi hand rolls and skip the chemistry? Now that would be different.

I'm heading away from the Italian sausages for the next sausage report. It's New Jersey, where foods tend to be either Italian, Polish, or from the Indian sub-continent. Seeing as how I was raised in the South, I'm having a major hankering for Jambalaya. Does anyone else hear Hank Williams right now, or is it just me? "Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie, a file gumbo..."

Jamie Oliver “Keep It Simple” Beautiful Coarse-Textured Italian Style Sausage

Cards on the table here, I am not a fan of Jamie Oliver. In fact, just the opposite. So when, a few weeks ago regular Rate My Sausage reader Affer left a comment berating the celebrity chef’s pre-packed Cumberland sausages I took it upon myself to obtain some of said sausages, review them, and cheerfully “put the boot in”. As it turned out I couldn’t find the Cumberlands, so the Italian Style sausages were tested in their stead.



Goodness me, I really wanted to despise these sausages. I wanted them to taste foul, look disgusting, and shrink to nothingness. Not that I ever carry pre-conceptions into my reviews you understand, oh no, no, no. Ahem. Moving quickly on….




I cooked the bangers in the regulation manner but decided to pimp the presentation to something more befitting of a TV Chef. Therefore the Italian Style sausages were served as the Roman Numerals XV, with a half-baked pea puree, a one hundred Kenyan Shillings banknote, and a laughing smurf.


Sophistication on a plate!

What the heck is THAT stuff coming out of the sausages in the pan (above)?

I will state that I have a problem with the name of these sausages. Jamie, why not let your customers be the judge of whether I find your sausages “beautiful” or not?


If you would like to check out the Jamie Oliver website click here: JAMIE_OLIVER_WEBSITE

And for those of you with a penchant for a good back story, read Jamie’s views on sausages, circa January 2009 here: PUCKAH_ARTICLE

Meat Content:
The packaging says these sausages are 86% meat, and they do taste it. They are solid and chunky, and it’s easy to believe the claim that good quality cuts of pork are used. A very nice amount of meatiness, well done.

Flavour:Very flavoursome - herby, earthy, muddy? None of those words meant in a bad way. They are very salty though. Quite spicy, which is good if you like your food with some heat in it. The flavours are many and varied, with sharp aniseed notes here and there combining intriguingly with a Toulouse-like feeling of garlic. Tasty!

Texture:Jamie’s bangers are very solid, for a supermarket sausage. They fall apart nicely when pulled betwixt knife and fork but stick together resolutely if sliced. Would they live up to the “Beautiful Coarse-Texture” of the name? Well, yes they do. I thoroughly enjoyed the agricultural consistency of these fellows.

Shrinkage:
Average weight uncooked - 61g
Average weight cooked - 40g

Shrinkage - 35%

Not good enough, frankly. 35% is the highest figure we’ve found, ever. The only rivals that come close were from Richmonds and Sainsbury’s – say no more. Oh, and a rogue batch of Pork & Apple from Downham Market.

Value For Money:£2.49 for six sausages, weighing 364g - this works out as a price of £6.84 per kg, or 42p per snorker. This was a special offer price, with a pack usually costing £2.99, so this pricing info is only temporary, and still isn’t cheap when you consider the amount that they will shrink. Price per kilogram after cooking works out at a mind-boggling £10.46!


The Bisto Factor:
Hard to tell when the reviewer has a stinking cold, sorry.

And Finally, Esther:
I really wanted these sausages to be rubbish, but they’re really not. I quite like ‘em, even if I do say so through gritted teeth. You win this time, Mister Oliver….

P&S Butchers of Holt – Norfolk Sausage**

Dear Sausage Fan, please note the asterisks in the title of this review. And see the end of the review to find out what it means....moving on....


P&S Butchers were the first that I visited when I was exploring the sausage producers of Holt. Theirs is a small shop at the top end of Bull Street – not far from the car park (see CR Lake review for further info). The guys inside were incredibly friendly when I visited, and introduced themselves as Paul & Simon. Bit of a giveaway as to the origins of the name of the shop, I guess. When I mentioned my mission, and that I was intending to visit the other butchers in town, I am almost certain that I detected a subtly raised “he int frerm round ere” eyebrow….

They were really interested in the whole Rate My Sausage idea, so hopefully they’ll be reading this review of their bangers sometime soon. I often wonder how butchers would react if or when I make a return visit. I will return to places whose sausages I’ve not raved about, no doubt, and may receive a frosty welcome. But I don’t think I’ll need to worry about Paul & Simon’s reaction, because I really liked their Norfolk Pork Sausages.

Meat Content:80%. These are big, and I mean BIG bangers, weighing in at an average of 88 grams. And they look long and substantial when they’re filling your frying pan during cooking. The meat is locally sourced, and has the “feel” of decent quality pig. And the casing is good too. As you can see from the “cooked” photo, splits had started to appear, and I now wish I’d given them a few more minutes to see how they developed.

Flavour:A good, tasty sausage, but if I have to make a criticism it is that there is not quite enough seasoning. P&S’ Norfolk bangers are promising, and tempting, and pleasant to eat, but there’s just not quite enough going on. Just a slight addition would really send these sausages soaring towards the higher end of the league standings.


Texture:
These sausages are an absolute log of porkiness. The four that I sampled took up more room in the trusty RMS pan than any other that I can remember. They initially seem to be very well packed inside the casing but break apart satisfyingly when you tuck in, allowing you to explore the contents – little bits of pepper, little blobs of fat, and a whole lot of meat. These are roughly-cut enough to get my tick in the box for Good Texture.

Shrinkage:Average weight uncooked - 88g
Average weight cooked - 76g

Shrinkage - 14%

This is a pretty good figure for P&S....and these whoppers weigh more after a damn good frying than the vast majority of bangers do before they hit the pan. Good work boys!



Value For Money:£1.87 for four sausages weighing 353g = £5.29 per kg = 47p per snorker. Now, these are good sausages in my opinion, and would be considered as good VFM even if they were closer to the average size. The fact that you’re paying only 47p.....FORTY SEVEN PEE!....for a daschund-sized chunk of porcine goodness makes them an absolutely Excellent banger for your buck. Try some Right Now!

** Sausage Has Alternative Uses:P&S have the accolade of inspiring a whole new category for Rate My Sausage. If you – for some reason – don’t enjoy these sausages when you taste them, you can use one as a draught excluder at the bottom of the back door. But you’ll have to cut a bit off the end first.

C R Lake of Holt - Best Pork Sausage

CR Lake was the second of Holt’s butchers that I found – they’re on the solidly named Bull Street. Now, if you’re going to visit any of these Holt butchers, be forewarned that parking in this nice little town is almost impossible, so go early to find a space in ”the” car park. But once you’re in, it’s simply a matter of turning left out the car park entrance, and walking down the gentle hill to find Lake’s.


The shop is small and neat and tidy. There isn’t an enormous range of products on view, but not a small amount either, and what’s there all looks to be very nice quality. I think that’s not a bad way of doing things. Service is friendly, the prices are on the suspiciously low side (but don’t worry, the standard of goods is high), and I was quite impressed by this no-frills family concern. And there’s a cool little wet fish shop next door.

So to the bangers:


Meat Content:The lady behind the counter said that the sausages were 75% pork. I’m not doubting that in the slightest. These bangers are solid. These bangers are dense. I think you can see for yourself that there’s plenty of meat here, and it’s delightfully tasty. As an added bonus, there’s plenty of fat that spills out in pan – real fat! It gives a great sizzle. These sausages are on the small size, dimensions-wise, but big on flavour.

Flavour:Spicy, meatish, manly. They’re quite fiery on the tongue, after the initial overtone of pleasantly sweet pork, but definitely a palate-pleasing taste sensation. You’ll need to chew these chunky chaps to get the whole flavour, and that marks them out as a darned good sausage in my book. In a word – delicious. And more-ish. That’s two words, but never mind.

Texture:
Superbly and utterly Crumbly (with a capital C), the casing is great, and they crisped up very nicely in contact with the heat. Very firm and solidly packed with meaty loveliness, and a real surprise package for a small sausage.

Shrinkage:Average weight uncooked - 57g
Average weight cooked - 44g

Shrinkage - 22%

This is quite a high figure, which is a shame. But for once I will completely overlook the statistics and recommend you try them as soon as you can.

Value For Money:£1.08 for four sausages, weighing 226g - this works out as a price of £4.79 per kg, or 27p per snorker.

Whoever says that butchers’ sausages are too expensive should take a reality check – Lake’s Best Pork bangers are on a par price-wise with rubbish like Walls or Richmond’s, but way, waaay ahead in quality. And you can buy exactly as many as you want or need, because you’re not committed to buying a pack of eight. Great VFM, well done Lakes!



The Bisto Factor:Note to self. Do not carry out sausage reviews at the same time as boiling last week’s chicken leftovers to make next week’s chicken stock. No matter how fabulous the bangers smell, the stock will smell better.

H V Graves of Holt - Traditional Pork Sausage

And so to the quirky town of Holt in Norfolk as the search for the perfect sausage continues. H V Graves used to have their own premises in the town but have now moved in to become a tenant of the Bakers & Larners posh mini-department store. They are extremely well-renowned for their provision of hog roasts, so I was hoping for a good knowledge of all things pig, and therefore a great Traditional Pork banger. The Graves counter can be found towards the back of the shop, just before you enter the unbelievably tempting deli area where you’ll encounter oh so many absolutely delicious-looking tempting treats. And go on, treat yourself to something, because the food here is knockout!

But what about Graves themselves? Well, I visited on a Saturday morning, and there was a steady trade over the counter, with one member of staff on duty. He was extremely knowledgeable about his meat, and butchery, which is always a reassurance. Sadly I left feeling somewhat ignored. After buying the bangers I realised that I hadn’t checked the meat content or price – neither sausages I bought displayed the meat percentage, and only one showed the price – so I loitered (obviously) at the end of the counter to ask for the information. Customers came and went, all served politely and efficiently, but it became clear that I wouldn’t be acknowledged. And that is a very sad state of affairs.

On this occasion I was simply waiting to ask a couple of questions as a nosey parker who writes about sausages – but what if I had been given the incorrect change? Or had only been handed three of maybe four items that I’d asked for? I certainly have no problem waiting my turn for a second time, but to be ignored (and almost pointedly so, it felt) seems to be very poor customer service. I waited for fifteen minutes and then departed, feeling rather un-valued as a customer. It felt as if they already had my money, and now I was not important.

HV Graves’ hog roast website can be found here: Graves_Hog_Roasts

However, this is a blog to try out sausages, not customer service, so on to the bangers:


Meat Content:I don’t know what the meat content of these sausages is, I didn’t get the chance to ask! Judging by my, literally, months of experience, I’d say about 65-70% would be close to the mark. Disappointing, and maybe on a par with the Royal_Blue_Meat_Company of Wisbech. Have a look at the sliced photos and see what you reckon.

Flavour:I felt that there wasn’t enough seasoning here. The mild, inoffensive flavour seemed more reminiscent of a Walls_sausage than a proper butcher’s banger, and that is a pity (they look quite similar too).

Texture:

The consistency of these puppies was “very fine” – there’s not too much to chew on. The casing crisped surprisingly well but too evenly, which leads me to suspect that there are almost certainly additives in here? The meat was rather pink with little variation in colour throughout – not a lot of discernable bits and pieces for the reviewer to investigate.

Shrinkage:Average weight uncooked - 50g
Average weight cooked - 44g

Shrinkage - 13%

Slightly better than average on the shrink-o-meter.


Value For Money:I wasn’t able to establish the price, but I did try. I did get the price of their Pork & Apple bangers though, and I know the total price I paid, so, when I review the P&A’s I will be able to extrapolate the price of the Traditional Porks too. Do I take this too seriously?


The Bisto Factor:Mmmmmmmm! These bangers did smell lovely while frying. It’s tempting to tuck in before they’re cooked properly....yes, they smell THAT good.


In Summary:Are Graves’ resting on their laurels and assuming that all the customers who frequent their host’s premises will buy their sausages, just because they’re there? These aren’t the worst sausages that we’ve tried, but in my opinion there is room for this firm to up their game.