Taylors - Bottesford – Traditional Sausage

Rate My Sausage was created in Norfolk, moved westwards to Lincolnshire, and now finds itself in Nottinghamshire. We've rated a few sausages from Newark butchers but there's a whole new, big county for us to explore. The starting point for this new chapter was the small village of Bottesford.

But hold on. Is Bottesford really in Notts? Well, after some time looking into this I have no idea. It might be. Or it could be Leicestershire. Politically it's Rutland. And local government is South Kesteven. Beyond my brain power to work it out so if you have the answer please let me know.

We visited Taylor's butchers to start exploring the bangers of this new area.

Where To Find Them:

You'll find Taylor's the butcher at 1 Grantham Road, also known as The Cross. It's really rather a pretty location and there is room to park on the side of the road nearby. There is no bold brassy signage here just a couple of blackboards listing special offers, but you can't miss it. Check the ceiling in this shop, old butchery items make it look like Frank Bough's basement. If you're using SausNav type in NG13 0DF.

Opening Hours:

Monday – Closed

Tuesday – 0700 to 1700

Wednesday – 0700 to 1700

Thursday – 0800 to 1700

Friday – 0700 to 1700

Saturday – 0700 to 1700

Sunday - Closed

Flavour:

Notes say “Wow, it's a powerful Lincolnshire”. Which for RMS is absolutely marvellous, bring on the bite. These bangers are almost, but not quite, over-powering. Taylor's have started to supply a local cafe, and the cafe bods have asked if they can be made less grabby and more herby. I don't get that myself, but I suppose they have to offer to a wide variety of customers, not just sausage maniacs like us. I love the flavour here, well done chaps.

Texture:

Real hog casings used, which bodes well. Inside coarse and crumbly, just how we like them. They squish OK too, get through the fork but boldly maintain structure. The skins held up perfectly in the pan and manfully held little pools of molten fat inside – a good thing as it makes them not too dry and not too juicy. Is there even such a thing as too juicy? Once cooked some skins proved to be just a little bit too chewy but that could have been down to my cooking I guess.

Vital Statistics:

Average Weight Uncooked = 41 grams

Average Weight Cooked = 30 grams

Meat Content = forgot to find out, sorry...

Value For Money:

£1.70 for 6 sausages weighing 245 grams. This works out as £6.94 per kg and 28p per banger.

We rate this as very good value for money.

And Finally, Esther:

This is usually a short, snappy (ha!) summary, but I can't do that this time. The flavours and the lovely coarse texture are wonderful. But the physical dimensions left me feeling a little short-changed. I want Taylor's to reproduce these bangers as they are but double the size. Triple! Lads, does your sausage machine need a bigger nozzle? I'll crowdfund you. Just please, please make these scoffable sausages more sizeable! When you've done that I am coming back for another review.

Sleaford Sausage Shop - Pork, Leek & Stilton Sausage

 In these times of mass closures of independent butchers shops it's great to be able to report the arrival of a new kid on the block. Not the complete butchery shop, but a lovely, little shop dedicated to selling sausages! Heaven.

Ian is the creative genius here and first opened the doors of Sleaford Sausage Shop on Saturday 13 November last year. The sausages completely sold out two hours before the intended closing time. The same thing happened the following Saturday. And amazingly has re-occurred every weekend since then. What better recommendation do you need than a product selling out week after week?

Where To Find Them:

Sleaford Sausage Shop is located in the quaint Victorian-era Bristol Arcade in the market town of Sleaford, Lincolnshire. The arcade has two entrances, one opposite the market place, the other where Clarks shoe shop is.

Opening Hours:

Monday – Closed

Tuesday – Closed

Wednesday – Closed

Thursday – Closed

Friday – Closed

Saturday – 0800 to 1300

Sunday – Closed

Yes the shop is only open on the early part of Satrudays. Plan a trip and bag some bangers. Ideally visit on the first Saturday of the month when the farmers market is held just across the road in the shadow of St Denys church.

Stanwatch:

No Stans on show, this is a one man band. Also the shop is...compact...so you probably couldn't fit any Stans behind the counter anyway.

Flavour:

The good quality cut pork is sweet and innocent, the leek adds more background sweetness. We've tried more “leeky” versions which is more to my taste, but producers these days are trying to appeal more to the masses than weird individual sausage lovers like me. The Stilton aroma is great, the flavour a little harder to capture, but the rich, laid-back creaminess sneaks up on you, and leaves a delightful cheesy after-taste. The flavour is probably better suited to maybe a cassoulet than for your breakfast, as the elements come through clearly and “do exactly what it says on the tin”. And if you remember that advert, you're older than you claim...

Texture:

Coarse chopped, and we love coarse chopped! The natural hog skins are snappy to cut into, just how it should be. Inside the filling it is easy to spot decent sized bits and pieces of the ingredients. These are succulent sausages, when you push a fork onto one it simply oozes sausage-y goodness.

Vital Statistics:

Average Weight Uncooked = 82 grams

Average Weight Cooked = 71 grams

Meat Content = minimum 75% pork shoulder or loin

Value For Money:

£4.21 for 6 sausages weighing 495 grams. This works out as £8.50 per kg and 70p per banger.

We rate this as very good value for money.

The "Aah, Bisto" Factor:

A subtle but interesting aroma before cooking which developed into “Are they cooked yet?” during frying.

And Finally, Esther:

Several butchers have told me now that tastes have changed in recent times and there is more demand for a blander, less challenging flavour profile, think mass produced pigswill like Richmonds. These bangers from Sleaford Sausage Shop are the polar opposite, full of grown-up flavour and texture. Recommended!

Traditional Pork Scratchings by Black Country Snacks

 Review by Lynda from Lincolnshire

Price:

£1.10 for 45 grams, which works out as £2.44 per 100 grams

Flavour: 

Not evenly flavoured, some quite bland, and others had me reaching for a drink. Score 3.5

Texture: 

Nice crunch without fearing for my teeth. Score 4.0

Soft bits/hard bits ratio: 

There were a lot of soft parts to balance the crunch. Score 3.0

More-ish-ness: 

Sort of, but had a mega-salty bit last so would have stopped there anyway. Score 4.0

Urgh bits: 

None here. Will mention there was a lot of crumb.

Worth the money? 

Pricey and lots of bits so maybe not. Score 0

Scores On The Doors:

18.0 – Mr Porky – Original Scratchings

15.5 - G. Simmons & Sons - Pork Crunch

14.5 – Black Country Snacks - Traditional Pork Scratchings

8.0 - Midlands Snacks - Traditional Pork Scratchings

6.0 – Picks Butchers, Dorrington – Pork Scratchings

Mr Porky - Original Scratchings

  Review by Lynda from Lincolnshire

Original scratchings from Mr Porky, Corby, Northants

Cost :

£0.89 for 65 grams

Flavour: 

Delicious with loads of seasoning. Score 4.

Texture: 

Crunchy and plenty of soft savoury parts, mostly bite size pieces. Score 4.

Soft bits/hard bits ratio: 

Nearly perfect as you would expect from “the Nation’s favourite” (quote from their packaging). Score 4.

More-ish-ness: 

Absolutely more-ish, hard to stop eating once you’ve had one. Score 4.

Urgh bits: 

No yucky bits here so no points deducted.

Worth the money: 

Yes, and there was just the right amount in the bag. Score 2.

Total points = 18.0

Scores On The Doors:

18.0 – Mr Porky – Original Scratchings

15.5 - G. Simmons & Sons - Pork Crunch

8.0 - Midlands Snacks - Traditional Pork Scratchings

6.0 – Picks Butchers, Dorrington – Pork Scratchings

Pick's of Dorrington - Pork Scratchings

 Review by Lynda from Lincolnshire

Pork scratchings from Picks butcher, Dorrington, Lincs.

Cost

 £1 for 100grams.

Flavour: 

Good and savoury but not enough seasoning for my taste. Score 2.

Texture: 

Most of the pieces were extremely crispy with not much of the soft, salty parts. Score 2.

Soft bits/hard bits ratio: 

Nearly all hard bits. Score 1.

More-ish-ness: 

I picked out the ones I could get in without biting as they were so crispy I feared for my teeth! The one I did bite actually shattered it was baked so well. Score: 1

Urgh bits: 

No yucky bits here so no points deducted.

Worth the money: 

No, sorry. Not for me.

Total score = 6

Scores On The Doors

15.5 - G. Simmons & Sons - Pork Crunch

8.0 - Midlands Snacks - Traditional Pork Scratchings

6.0 – Picks Butchers, Dorrington – Pork Scratchings