Recipe | Sausage Roll Wreath

The classic sausage roll gets a festive update for the Christmassy buffet table

Serves 6-8

250ml jar cranberry sauce

1 tbsp honey

Zest of ½ lemon

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp Cointreau (optional)

500g sausage meat

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp chopped oregano

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

500g puff pastry

1 large egg, beaten

Handful of bay leaves

Rosemary sprigs, to garnish

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Add the cranberry sauce, honey, lemon zest, star anise,

cinnamon stick and Cointreau (if using) to a pan and gently heat until it starts to simmer. Stir for a few mins to thoroughly blend, then set aside.

2 In a bowl, combine the sausage meat, herbs, nutmeg and seasoning.

3 Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle with the shorter side at the top and spread half the cranberry sauce along the longest length in the middle of the pastry. Place the sausage meat mix on top, along the same central line.

4 Brush the egg along one long side of the pastry to seal it; fold the other side over the meat and cranberry mix before folding the brushed egg side over on top. You’ll finish with a long sausage with the meat sealed inside. Divide the roll into ten, scoring two-thirds of the way through with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut entirely through. Place the pastry roll onto a large lined baking tray.

5 Carefully pull the two ends together to form a circle and seal by brushing with the egg and pressing down. Play around with the final shape so that each segment is uniformly laid out with the filling exposed upwards, and leave space in the centre if you can for your relish bowl once it’s cooked.

6 Bake for 35 mins, or until the pastry turns golden brown and the sausage meat is thoroughly cooked.

7 Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and then on to a serving platter. Place the remaining spiced cranberry sauce into a small bowl that fits into the middle of your sausage ‘wreath’. Garnish with the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs and add to the buffet table for breaking off into segments and dipping into the sauce.

This recipe is just one of the ideas that features in our ‘Boxing Day Buffet’ feature in our December issue, including Mushroom, Chestnut & Stilton Bites, Kir Royale Cocktails, Roasted Cranberry and Mustard Gammon, Winter Salad with Goat’s Cheese & Walnuts, Baked Salmon with Pomegranate & Rosemary and Meringue Nests with Fruit & Boozy Cream. The recipes are by Kay Prestney and photography by Rebecca Lewis.

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Recipe | Sausages with Green Lentils & Salsa Verde

Move over mash! Pair your bangers with lentils for a rich and filling feast with a little kick.

Serves 4

300g green lentils (we got ours from hodmedods.co.uk)

Olive oil

250g bacon lardons

1 onion, finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely diced

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 pork sausages

A splash of cider vinegar

For the salsa verde:

1 small bunch of basil, finely chopped

1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 small bunch of mint, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp capers, rinsed and finely chopped

1 tbsp cider vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil

3-4 anchovy fillets

How to make

1 Rinse the lentils in cold water and leave to soak for 30 mins.

2 To make the salsa verde, place the herbs, garlic and capers in a blender. Add the vinegar, olive oil and anchovies, along with a good pinch of salt and black pepper, blitz to combine. Check the seasoning, adding more if necessary.

3 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the lardons and fry for about 5 mins, or until crispy and golden. Add the onion, celery, carrots and bay leaves and cook for 10 mins more over a medium–low heat, or until they’re very, very soft but without much colour. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins.

4 Add the soaked and drained lentils and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir until they’re well coated with the oil and veg, then add enough cold water to cover the lentils by about 1cm. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 mins, or until tender, topping up with a little more boiling water if necessary.

5 With the lentils cooking, fry the sausages in a little oil for 8–10 mins, or until cooked. Remove from heat.

6 Remove the lentils from the heat and add a splash of vinegar to taste. Check the seasoning. Serve the lentils with the sausages and a big dollop of the salsa verde.

This recipe is taken from Pipers Farm: The Sustainable Meat Cookbook by Abby Allen & Rachel Lovell (Kyle Books). Photography: Matt Austin. The sausages with lentils are just one of the ideas for autumnal recipes featured in our November issue.

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More from our November issue…

Spinach, sausage and orzo soup

This spinach, sausage and orzo soup offers a whole meal and a big dose of comfort in one bowl for those midwinter days when you want dinner on
the sofa and minimal washing up.

Serves 4
6 plump sausages (ideally with lots of onion or garlic)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato purée
A generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
A small pinch of dried oregano
800ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
100g orzo or other small pasta
150g spinach, stems removed, roughly chopped
2 tbsp single or double cream 

TO SERVE:
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Freshly grated parmesan

1 Remove the sausage casings and shape the meat into little meatballs. Place the oil in a heavy-based pan with a lid over a medium-high heat and add the sausage meatballs. Brown them all over, then lift out and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and to the same pan add the onion, carrot and celery, and season; sauté for 10 mins, until soft and beginning to brown.
2 Add garlic and tomato purée and cook, stirring for 2 mins. Next, add the nutmeg, oregano, stock and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins.
3 Add the orzo*, spinach and meatballs and simmer for 4 mins, or until the orzo and meatballs are cooked. Remove from the heat, add the cream and remove the bay leaf and check seasoning.
4 Serve in wide bowls, and garnish with herbs and parmesan.

Recipe from Leon Happy Soups by Rebecca Seal and John Vincent (Conran Octopus).

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View the sampler here.

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