500g good-quality butter puff pastry
1½-2 tsp English mustard
6 thick good-quality wild boar sausages, about 450g (or use sausagemeat)
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water, to glaze
sesame seeds, to sprinkle
Sausage rolls are a great bar snack when you’re after something a little more substantial with a drink, but not a full meal. This recipe is one of several versions we serve at the pubs, using fantastic wild boar sausagemeat and good-quality puff pastry. You can substitute any kind of sausage for the filling, but do try to get one with a higher meat/lower fat content, preferably from a good butcher.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a large rectangle, about 3mm in thickness. Cut out 6 rectangles, about 10cm x 12cm (they should be just large enough to wrap around a sausage, so use one as a guide). Brush the pastry rectangles with a light coating of mustard.
Peel off the skins from the sausages. Lay a sausage along one longer side of a pastry rectangle and roll the pastry around it, overlapping the ends slightly and pressing them lightly to seal. Put the sausage roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Repeat to make the rest of the sausage rolls, leaving some space between them to allow for expansion on cooking. Brush the tops with some of the beaten egg and rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Brush the sausage rolls once again with the egg and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the sausages are cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly before serving. Although you can enjoy them cold, these sausage rolls are best served warm and freshly baked.
Scotch woodcock
Creamed haddock and pickled walnuts on toast
Anchovies on toast with poached egg and spinach
St. George’s mushrooms on toast
Soft herring roes on toast
Potted duck
Potted crab
Potted shrimps with toast
Potted hough
Devilled kidneys on toast
Sardines and tomatoes on toast
Roasted bone marrow with caper and herb dressing
Welsh rabbit
Scotch woodcock
SERVES 4
14 anchovy fillets in oil 50g butter, softened, plus a few knobs of cold butter
black pepper
4 large eggs
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 slices of white or brown bread
1 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
Back in the days when gentlemen’s clubs were prevalent, small portions of savouries on toast took the place of sweet puddings as an alternate way to end a meal – much like our modern-day cheese and biscuits. Scotch woodcock is one such dish. Simply scrambled eggs with anchovies on toast, it couldn’t be easier to make. The tradition is to adorn the scrambled eggs with two anchovies laid in the shape of a cross to symbolize the Scottish flag.
Finely chop or mash 6 anchovy fillets and mix with the softened butter and a generous grinding of black pepper. Set aside.
Melt a few knobs of butter in a saucepan. In a bowl, whisk the eggs together with a pinch of cayenne, then pour into the pan and stir slowly over a gentle heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir the eggs until they are scrambled and creamy.
Meanwhile, toast the bread slices. Spread them generously with the anchovy butter and place on warm serving plates. Add the capers to the scrambled eggs, then quickly spoon on top of the toasts. Garnish each serving with two crossed anchovies and serve.
Creamed haddock and pickled walnuts on toast
SERVES 4
450g smoked haddock fillets
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, white part only, trimmed and finely chopped
300ml double cream black pepper
4 slices of thick country bread
3-4 pickled walnuts, drained and finely sliced
Enriching smoked haddock with cream gives the fish a lovely silky texture for this savoury base. Pickled walnuts add a sweet tang that cuts through the richness perfectly.
Bring a wide, shallow pan of water to a simmer and add the haddock fillets, skin side down. Poach gently for 3–4 minutes until the flesh is just cooked and flakes easily. Using a fish slice, carefully transfer the fish to a plate and leave to cool for a few minutes. While still warm, flake the fish, discarding the skin and removing any pin-bones.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the leek and sauté for 4–5 minutes, until soft. Pour in the cream and simmer until it has reduced slightly and thickened. Fold through the flaked fish. Add a generous grinding of black pepper and taste for seasoning. (You probably won’t need to add salt, as smoked haddock is usually quite salty.) Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Toast the bread slices and place on warm plates. Pile the smoked haddock mixture generously onto the toasts and arrange the pickled walnut slices on top. Serve at once.
Anchovies on toast with poached egg and spinach
SERVES 4
4 large eggs
few drops of white wine or cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
300g spinach leaves, washed and dried
sea salt and black pepper nutmeg, to grate
4 slices of brown soda bread
12 anchovy fillets in oil, halved if large
This simple but delicious combination of salty anchovies, creamy poached eggs and earthy spinach atop crunchy toast makes a fantastic weekend brunch.
First, poach the eggs in advance. Bring a pan of water to a simmer. Add a few drops of vinegar and swirl with a slotted spoon to create a whirlpool effect. Cook the eggs two at a time: crack one into a small bowl and gently slide into the centre of the whirlpool; repeat with another egg. Poach for about 3 minutes until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny in the middle. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and slide into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Repeat to cook the other eggs.
When you are ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a wide pan. When hot, add the spinach leaves and stir over a high heat until the spinach has just wilted. Remove from the heat and season well with salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Meanwhile, toast the