Square sausage, is it a thing? Yes it blooming well
is, our celtic friends in the north (i.e. Scotland) have been producing lovely
“square slice” since before Braveheart could even spell the word “Freadum”.
Back in my King’s Lynn days my brilliant buddy Gerry would make frequent trips
back to his homeland – Dumbarton – and bring carrier bags full of delicious
Scottish meat products for us, obtained from Smith’s Butchers in Glasgow Road.
Believe me, “Gerry Day” was one of the most eagerly anticipated events every
few months. And the Square Slice was simply delicious.
It’s extremely rare to find square slice in England.
Spotting this gap in the market the people at Squig researched and developed
and toiled away in Widnes, and now their product is on the market. That whole
process is tortuous and difficult, so well done you lot, I admire what you’ve
achieved. As well as this Cumberland variety there is a Classic Pork version
available, and a Caramelised Onion Squig is on the way. You can contact the
company via the ways in the photo, or simply click this link to their website:
LOVE SQUIG
Soooo..how do Squigs rate? There’s only one way to
find out......read on.....
Where To Find Them:
Currently you can find Squig in Morrisons
supermarkets, on the sausage shelves. I’m not going to list them all, because as
at February 2018 there were 491
Morrisons dotted around our green and pleasant land.
Opening Hours:
I believe that most Morrisons stores are open
ridiculously long hours, so you should be OK popping in whenever you want.
Buuuuuut – best check before you set out eh?
Stanwatch:
It’s a supermarket shelf, so there are zero Stans to
enjoy. In case you’re new to these reviews, a Stan is a member of staff in a
butcher’s shop who is beavering away in the background, a-slicing and
a-chopping, but who doesn’t interact with you as a customer. We love Stans.
Flavour:
Nicely but not overly salty, pork is fine, pepper
level is just right for the Cumberland label. It does exactly what it says on
the tin. Or packet.For me the flavour is mid-table, but then I am comparing
with hand-made torpedo-shaped sausages. In terms of square sausages it’s right
up there. I would certainly eat these again, they’re handily shaped to make
levels in a huge burger tower for example. JP is a huge fan and always wants
more. Firm tick in the Flavour box.
Texture:
The ideal Rate My Sausage banger is made up of
large, crumbly chunks of filling inside a natural sausage skin, providing that
snap when you cut into it. I understand that this is not an ideal held by many
people. Squig’s own publicity proclaims “No chewy skins”. Obviously there is a
mismatch here between my preferred sausage and Squig’s square slices. This
doesn’t mean that this is a bad product. I actually quite like it, there are
definite markets for this, just maybe not Sausage Nerds like me. The texture is
firm, reminiscent of the breakfast muffin from a well-known fast food outlet, but
much better quality. It cuts apart submissively which is another plus point for
the children-based market. The youngest member of this household absolutely
bloody loves Squigs and it is now his regular sausage item in our weekend full
English.
It would be unfair to compare this with a more
traditional offering from the butcher down the road, so I won’t. For a square
sausage from Widnes, the texture is just right. JP agrees wholeheartedly.
Vital Statistics:
Average Weight Uncooked = 88 grams
Average Weight Cooked = 73 grams
Meat Content = 65 %
Value For Money:
£2.00 for 4 sausages weighing 348 grams. This works
out as £5.75 per kg and 50p per banger.
We rate this as pretty good value for money. The
bangers are weighty and this is a fabulous product for a family on a budget.
Three Word Verdicts:
Junior Sidekick “Not a fan”
Ruth “Different. Prefer traditional.”
JP “My favourite ever!”
The "Aah, Bisto" Factor:
There’s a distinct sausage aroma during cooking –
but I was also frying some other bangers at the same time. Repeat cookings have
indeed offered up a subtle but pleasant fragrance.
The Imaginatively Titled Next Day Cold Sausage Test:
This important benchmark test has not been carried
out yet, there’s never any left over. Take that as a good sign I reckon.
And Finally, Esther:
Great for kids or the convenience seeker. Worth a
try for everyone else. I like Squigs!
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