Ancaster Butchers - Sleaford - Pork & Tomato Sausage

I popped into the Bristol Arcade in Sleaford to find some interesting bangers, and visited Ancaster Butchers’ (fairly) newly opened premises. Times must be good for this outfit to be expanding from their shop in Ancaster, which is great news. We visited them before Christmas and picked up lots of high quality meat products, including their Lincolnshire sausages which we reviewed here – ANCASTER BUTCHER LINCOLNSHIRE SAUSAGE

Bristol Arcade is a quaint fifties curiosity, a miniscule shopping mall with vaulted glass ceiling. The entrances are directly opposite the market place and also on Southgate, you can’t really miss it....Ancaster Butchers are towards the market place end. I highly recommend their beautifully thick pork chops....

Opening Hours:

Monday – 0730 to 1630

Tuesday – 0730 to 1630

Wednesday – Closed

Thursday – 0730 to 1630

Friday – 0730 to 1630

Saturday – 0730 to 1200

Sunday - Closed

Stanwatch:

It’s a satellite shop from their main base so there’s only one Stan here – helpful and informative though. 

Flavour:

In light of previous reviews of tomato sausages I was a little dubious about trying them again. I shouldn’t have worried. Although still not exactly as I fondly remember from childhood – which was a long time ago – these sausages certainly do have a lovely tomato flavour, my first written note was “YES! TOMATO!” The taste is sweet and really lovely, which you wouldn’t maybe expect when you look at the uncooked photo – they appear brooding and a little satanic. The previous tomato sausage reviews are listed at the bottom if you would like to do some additional reading.

  

Texture:

Skins are good, quite brittle, therefore snappy and first-rate. The filling is a decent mid-thickness, you can see tempting lumps of pork and fat which I like. I wonder if it’s harder to create a decent filling when one of the ingredients is so watery, as tomatoes are? They are certainly very juicy as the photos show, Ancaster Butchers have done a good job here. They cooked up nicely with no drama although there was a little opaque red seepage. 

Vital Statistics:

Average Weight Uncooked = 57 grams

Average Weight Cooked = 55 grams

Meat Content = Sorry, I forgot to ask. But I was extremely impressed with the lack of shrinkage here,  only 2 grams lighter after cooking than before. Outstanding.

Value For Money:

£2.83 for 6 sausages weighing 341 grams. This works out as £8.30 per kg and 47p per banger.

We rate this as good value for money.

The Imaginatively Titled Next Day Cold Sausage Test:

I saved two sausages for this test but they mysteriously disappeared from the fridge overnight. Where’s Scooby Doo when you need a mystery solving?

Previous Tomato Sausage Reviews:

MERIDIAN MEATS TOMATO SAUSAGE

WALSINGHAM FARM SHOP TOMATO & BASIL SAUSAGE

OSLINC OSTRICH & TOMATO SAUSAGE

Vox Pop:

I asked people their thoughts on tomato sausages, and here are some of their replies....

• Bit like cheese with fruit in it - may be quite tasty but I don’t really see the point. Sausage with a tomato is good, this would have to be even better.
• I like tomato sausages with, say, egg and chips but not with gravy or mash. Cold in sandwiches good also. Nana at York used to like them.
• Love tomato sausages.
• They are the Devil's sausage!  

And Finally, Esther:

A good attempt at the mythical tomato sausage from my childhood – will I ever find what I’m looking for?