BRITISH SAUSAGE WEEK 4th - 10th November 2013

I have just discovered that it is British Sausage Week this week - an annual celebration of the taste, quality and diversity of traditional pork sausage. I must admit to loving a good sausage and purchasing some quality 'bangers' last week, from Marks and Spencer, were a delicious addition to a full English breakfast!

Throughout this week, there are celebrations with the winners of the national competition, revealing the land's greatest sausages, plus a host of  new recipes and opportunities for the public to get involved in events. The celebrity ambassador for the week is Simon Rimmer, well known chef and TV foodie show host. He is on a tour of sausage discovery to taste all the sausages that have got through to regional finals and then award the winning butcher in each region with a coveted Banger Award.

Regional Winners already announced this week are:-
EAST MIDLANDS - Trevor Fairburn
YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE - Bobby's Bangers
NORTH EAST - The Blagdon Farm Shop
LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST - Uptons of Bassett
EASTERN - Perfick Pork
WEST MIDLANDS - Rossiter Butchers

Sausages really are the nations’ favourite food, with celebrity fans including Prince Charles, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Roger Moore, Keith Floyd, Elvis, who loved sausage rolls, Des O’Connor and Rachel Stevens whose favourite comfort food is a sausage sandwich. Footballer John Terry and wife Toni Poole served sausages at their wedding in 2007, as did Kate Winslet. Katie Price and Peter Andre served guests bangers and mash when they married. Apparently legendary highway man, Dick Turpin, was known to moonlight as a butcher making sausages from the finest meats hunted in Epping Forest. Queen Victoria was fond of sausages but insisted that the meat be hand chopped rather than minced.

Why not try this Spicy Sausage Casserole to celebrate British Sausage Week?

Ingredients:-
50ml Olive oil
12 Pork sausages
6 Rashers streaky smoked bacon - cut into 2cm pieces
300g Onion - thinly  sliced
2 Crushed garlic cloves
4g Smoked paprika
40g Tomato puree
400g Chopped tomatoes - canned
500ml Chicken bouillon paste
10ml Worcestershire sauce
2 Bay leaves
4 Sprigs of fresh thyme
400g Canned cannellini beans - drained  and washed
 Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish

Method:-

• Heat the oil in a large non stick pan and fry the sausages and bacon gently for 4 minutes, then add the onions and garlic and continue frying for a further 2 minutes, until they soften.
• Add the smoked paprika and tomato puree and cook for a further minute.
• Sir in the tomatoes, chicken bouillon paste, Worcestershire sauce and herbs, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
•  Stir the beans into the casserole, season to taste with pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with slices of fresh crusty bread.

See: www.britishsausageweek.com