I made sausage rolls at the weekend.

[SWv2]

Yes, but if you make them yourself, you feel duty bound to try and do something different or interesting with them, otherwise you might as well just go to Gregg's. The fact that one's efforts never actually succeed in making anything nicer is beside the point.

Sadly Greggs does not exist in the free state of the Emerald Isle.

I look forward to their arrival as we now have Weatherspoons so I expect all trade barriers are down.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

Sadly Greggs does not exist in the free state of the Emerald Isle.

I look forward to their arrival as we now have Weatherspoons so I expect all trade barriers are down.

They don't even know what a sausage roll is over here. ****s.

[Alberto Balsam Rodriguez]

Finely minced a mixture of pork shoulder and belly, added softened onions and lots of sage, buttry puff pastry... I think I still prefer Gregg's

That can't be right? To be fair Gregg's sausage rolls are great after a heavy night but when stone cold and with a fully available palette, I can't believe that Gregg's would win out....

[Sir C]

They don't even know what a sausage roll is over here. ****s.

They have meatballs though, right? Like at Ikea?

Wrap some of those up in pastry and you're sorted, b.

[Sir C]

That can't be right? To be fair Gregg's sausage rolls are great after a heavy night but when stone cold and with a fully available palette, I can't believe that Gregg's would win out....

Consider the Greggs pinky-grey sludge filling and the greasiness of the limp pastry. An unbeatable combination.

[Burney]

Au contraire; my idea was to leave the essential simplicity of the dish but try to improve the result by using quality ingredients.

Actually I'm going to have a cold one now for elevenses.

Yes, but you've admitted yourself that the quality ingredients make feck all difference. It was the same when I made Cornish pasties with nice bits of skirt steak, finely diced vegetables and lovingly-made lard pastry. They just ended up tasting like Cornish pasties.

[SWv2]

They have meatballs though, right? Like at Ikea?

Wrap some of those up in pastry and you're sorted, b.

Indeed, with a small receptacle of the sauce/gravy for dipping.

Mind you going the whole way to Ikea when slightly hung over is not ideal (trust me).

[redgunamo]

Yes, but you've admitted yourself that the quality ingredients make feck all difference. It was the same when I made Cornish pasties with nice bits of skirt steak, finely diced vegetables and lovingly-made lard pastry. They just ended up tasting like Cornish pasties.

Right. It's as well to just leave the whole business to the experts.

[Sir C]

Yes, but you've admitted yourself that the quality ingredients make feck all difference. It was the same when I made Cornish pasties with nice bits of skirt steak, finely diced vegetables and lovingly-made lard pastry. They just ended up tasting like Cornish pasties.

Nonsense. Try making bacon and eggs with quality dry-cured bacon and freshly laid eggs. Or steak and chips using proper dry-aged beef and beef dripping. The quality of the ingredients is vital. Usually.

[Burney]

Nonsense. Try making bacon and eggs with quality dry-cured bacon and freshly laid eggs. Or steak and chips using proper dry-aged beef and beef dripping. The quality of the ingredients is vital. Usually.

Yes of course, but there are certain foodstuffs that defy gentrification. Indeed, it's possible that part of their appeal lies in the cheapness of their ingredients and shoddiness of their preparation. For me, a sausage roll is such a beast. After all, bland, pink mechanically-recovered meat paste and limp, greasy, lukewarm pastry wilted under a heat lamp do beat good crisp pastry and flavoursome pork mince. That's just a fact.