Blessetts - Billingborough - Lincolnshire Sausage

As part of my work as a mental health support worker I spent several months working with a young lad who lived in Billingborough, and would often walk with him past an interesting looking small butcher’s shop on our way to feed the ducks near the church.

Billingborough is a very pretty village in South Lincolnshire, almost halfway between the market towns of Sleaford and Bourne. Named after the Billings tribe who invaded England after the Romans shipped off home, the nicest feature is the natural, bubbling spring near the thirteenth century church. The artesian spring water is very high in iron content and was a popular destination for health-conscious Victorians. The ducks that live here are a mixture of breeds living in harmony, but the most interesting to me are the Indian Running Ducks, who sometimes race hilariously around the pond and its surroundings. Well worth a visit.

Where To Find Them:

You will find the shop in Chapel Street, you can’t miss it. After you’ve bought your bangers carry on around the corner, past the doctors’ surgery and rest for a while on one of the benches near the pond. The view of pond, ducks and church is idyllic and a perfect image of a typical beautiful English village. If you’re using SausNav aim for NG34 0QH, best place to park is on the main street somewhere near the Co-op (free street parking).

Opening Hours:

Monday –  Closed

Tuesday – 0800 to 1700

Wednesday – 0800 to 1700

Thursday – 0800 to 1400

Friday – 0800 to 1700

Saturday – 0800 to 1400

Sunday - Closed

Stanwatch:

It’s a small shop but perfectly proportioned, and you will find a happy smiling Stan behind the counter, offering warm and efficient service. Sorry, I didn’t catch his name...

Flavour:

It’s a mild flavour for a Lincolnshire. Recently I have introduced work colleague Tony to proper sausages and he found the Lincolnshire variety too spicy – wonder how he would get on with these? The recipe, as always, is a closely guarded secret (bah), but with a Lincolnshire sausage you’re really only looking for good quality coarsely-chopped pork, rusk/bread, salt, pepper And a hefty hit of sage. All the boxes are ticked with Blessett’s Lincolnshires, and it’s a tasty yet subtle version.

Texture:

There is good and bad to report here. The skins mainly disappeared during the frying process, and the sausages striped up quickly. Not a good thing at all, probably indicating that the casings are not natural but made of collagen – a protein mainly found in connective tissues in mammals. Also it’s the stuff that people like Amanda Holden pump into their lips to make them look “better”. On the plus side the texture of the sausage is coarse (just how I like it) and crumbly with lovely large lumps of pork which feel great when you bite in. Coarse cut pork is one of the essentials for a Lincolnshire, so well done Blessetts.

Vital Statistics:

Average Weight Uncooked = 69 grams

Average Weight Cooked = 59 grams

Meat Content = 85 %

Value For Money:

£6.49 for 12 sausages weighing 832 grams. This works out as £7.80 per kg and 54p per banger.

 We rate this as decent value for money.

The "Aah, Bisto" Factor:

Absolutely fabulous aroma from the pan! I wanted to eat these sausages long before they were properly cooked. If Opal Fruits are made to make your mouth water, these sausages will make your mouth dribble and drool...

And Finally, Esther:

A good sausage let down by the casings. Overall well worth a try, and infinitely better than god-awful Richmonds and the like....