Odlings - Navenby - Bomber County Sausage

We only ever make return visits for two reasons – to confirm how good a sausage was on the first visit, or to confirm how utterly foul. Which is it? Well we reviewed Odling’s Lincolnshire variety last year and raved about the quality, the flavour, the staff – everything. There’s a link to that review a little further down the page.

Had Dan and his colleagues set themselves up for a fall, could the Bomber County bangers maintain the exceptional standard? As Meg Ryan might say, “yes, Yes, YES!”.

Where To Find Them:

Navenby is an attractive and ancient village in Lincolnshire, dating back to....nah, I wrote all this bit in the first review – if you want the background of where Odlings are located you could have a read of last year’s piece - Odlings Lincolnshire Sausages

Opening Hours:

Monday – 0600 to 1800

Tuesday – 0600 to 1800

Wednesday – 0600 to 1800

Thursday – 0600 to 1800

Friday – 0600 to 1800

Saturday – 0600 to 1730

Sunday – 1000 to 1600

Stanwatch:

Nothing to report, as these sausages came straight out of the Sausage Storage Facility (SSF). Otherwise known as the freezer.

Flavour:

The unique selling point for the Bomber County variety is that they’ve used Bomber County real ale in place of water. Wow, what a difference this makes. The flavour is full and fabulous, and cuddles your taste buds rather than slapping them. Seasoning is very well balanced, there’s enough of a hint of pepper to let you know it’s there but not overpowering. Such a homely and comforting flavour, very impressive, it will take you straight back to eating bangers and mash after school, while watching Take Hart and Animal Magic.

Texture:

First thing to note is all the different shapes and sizes. We like this a lot. They are made up of lovely big bobbly bits, which is what we like. Just look at the pictures!  Lovely large lumps of extremely local, high quality pork and fat combine beautifully to make eating them a real treat. The skins are also very good, almost “pingy”, and when you cut into the sausage the skin yanks the banger apart like a reverse-action Venus fly trap. It’s as if the sausage is desperate to be eaten. You’ll find it hard to squish your fork through these beauties, so they’re a million miles better than, say, a Richmond abomination.

Vital Statistics:

Average Weight Uncooked = 63 grams

Average Weight Cooked = 55 grams

Meat Content = 85 %

Value For Money:

£4.29 for 8 sausages weighing 504 grams. This works out as £8.52 per kg and 54p per banger.

We rate this as fantastic value for money.

The Imaginatively Titled Next Day Cold Sausage Test:

The surviving bangers travelled with me to work the next morning. I had planned to taste them combined with an array of sauces and condiments. It didn’t happen. When I popped the lid off of the box the delicious aroma was just too tempting and they were guzzled in double quick time. On reflection I ‘m saying this was a positive result, and these sausages tasted just as nice the day after frying.

And Finally, Esther:

A successful return visit, carried out to confirm the high quality of our first experience. You didn’t think anything else surely? Odlings is a great butcher and their bangers are highly recommended!