Is
it too soon to mention Christmas? In my humble opinion it definitely
is. Having said that, is it too soon to mention Sausage Of The Year?
Weeelll....maybe. But you might well be looking at it right here...
Do
the names Tom and Barbara mean anything to you? They were the main
characters in the classic sitcom The Good Life, in which a couple
left the rat race behind and tried to live a self sufficient life.
The story of The Decent Company has echoes of this story, in that the
founder, Martha Roberts, also quit a life of spreadsheets and
meetings to become, in her own words “A former suburban, corporate
woman, gone rogue!” They share values and beliefs but the
difference between the two is that Martha shares her vision, and the
meat that it creates, with a loyal following of extremely satisfied
customers. The most common way to purchase the end product is via the
half pig, quarter pig or taster boxes. I'd love to describe Martha's
life and her smallholding to you but it's done much better on her own
website (a link can be found further down the page).
Before
ordering my quarter of a pig I did a little research online, and
asked people for their opinion on the sausages – here are some of
those views:
“We
like them so much we bought a year's supply!”
“I
highly recommend them (and Martha's pig-keeping skills/high welfare
standards).”
“Oh
yes, loved them. And reordered.”
Previous
customers seem happy enough eh?
Where
To Find Them:
The
Decent Company is of course a real-life smallholding, but you can
only purchase their piggy products online. The website is beautifully
designed and gives a great insight into the high welfare standards
employed. As it's such a small scale operation the meat is not
available all day every day, and becomes available only when the
current broods are ready. For this reason I would seriously advise
contacting Martha via the order form on the website, or via Twitter
(@MarthaRoberts). The online form also let's you know when the next
batch of pork will be available.
If
for no other reason, visit this website for lots of lovely pictures
of piglets doing what piglets love to do: THE DECENT COMPANY
Opening
Hours:
The
internet is open 24 hours a day, every day, except Easter Sunday.
Early closing Thursday afternoons.
Flavour:
The
pork from the mostly Gloucester Old Spot pigs is so sweet, it
provides a prominent yet delicate flavour here. My notes say
“Absolutely bloody lovely”. There's seasoning here but it's
subtle, just enough to give the taste a boost but not so that the
meat is overpowered. It's a smooth, old-fashioned deliciousness that
I loved, and frankly can hardly wait to get the next lot in the
frying pan!
Texture:
The
filling is quite fine but beautifully firm at the same time, you're
hard pushed to squish these through your fork (unlike poor quality
offerings from the likes of Richmonds, Iceland, etc). In the mouth
the sausage breaks apart allowing thousands of tasty bobbles of
flavoursome pork to run riot. The skins snap just perfectly when cut,
and squeak in the mouth. Near perfection...
Vital
Statistics:
Average
Weight Uncooked = 59 grams
Average
Weight Cooked = 48 grams
Meat
Content = 85 %
Value
For Money:
Our
sausages came as part of our “quarter pig” box so it's impossible
to separate their price. The webite though lists a kilogram of
sausages for £10, so I'll use that. We ordered the quarter pig box,
at £90 which iis a good price for the large amount and variety of
meat that you receive.
£3.51
for 6 sausages weighing 351 grams. This works out as £10.00 per kg
and 58p per banger. Far from extortionate for such a quality item.
We
rate this as fabulous value for money.
The
"Aah, Bisto" Factor:
We've
always fried sausages for our reviews, and this time was no
different. As I've recently moved house I am still trying to get the
hang of using a gas hob (had a couple of disasters so far too), so
these sausages were fried very slowly. Oh my goodness, oh my
goodness....the whole house was filled with the most mouth-watering
aroma, which just got better as the bangers browned. Lovely.
The
Imaginatively Titled Next Day Cold Sausage Test:
Yeah,
right. You think any of these beauties would survive overnight? No
chance.
And
Finally, Esther:
From
start to finish there is nothing not to like about The Decent Company
and its products. Sausage Of The Year? Maybe. Martha Roberts is a food heroine.
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