Easy Sausage Rolls

I have been making these for a few years - I think the original recipe was a BBC Good Food one with a few little tinkles and tweaks over that time. Sausage rolls are a great party food bite or for any packed lunches or picnics.

They have been popular with whoever has been the recipient but never more so than by my daughter's dance school - I made them for an all day competition recently and then they were in heavy demand for the end of year presentation and over 50 of them went almost immediately! But then you just can't beat a fresh sausage roll straight from the oven can you?

I use mustard in these but you can vary these according to your personal taste - I have used red onion chutney and pickles before now too.

For the sausage meat, I would say try to get the best quality you can afford, as it will impact the flavour; and if you can't find the blocks or sausage meat that have been adorning the supermarket lately for festive reasons, then feel free to buy good sausages and just squeeze out the meat from their skins.

Easy Sausage Rolls

Here's how:

• 350g Sausage meat 
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tbsp English Mustard
• 1 sheet ready roll puff pastry
• 1 egg

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with grease proof paper.

Now prepare the sausage meat in a bowl, break it up a bit and season generously with the black pepper, and more modestly with the sea salt as sausages tend to be quite salty anyway. Add the garlic salt and mix well - you may need to use your hands!

Now wash and dry your hands, then roll out the pastry which will be in a rectangular shape - cut length-ways straight down the middle so you have two sections, and pull apart slightly. 

Take a pastry brush, and brush a generous amount of English Mustard all the way along the centre of both pieces of pastry.

Now get half of the sausage meat and roll out or pull into small balls and put along the centre of one of the pastry sections all the way along, using the mustard as a guide.

After repeating the process, wash and dry your hands again, and then beat the egg in a small bowl, ready to egg wash the sausage rolls.

Now brush the egg wash along the side of one of the sides of each pastry section and carefully fold the other half over the sausage meat, and press the dry side down onto the egg-washed side and hold down to secure along the length of the sausage roll. 

Now use a sharp knife to cut into smaller sausage rolls - about 3cm long, or just use your eye to cut them into the size you'd prefer. 

Once cut, use the knife to make gentle incisions or little cuts along the top of each individual sausage roll. 

Now use a fork to crimp the edge of each sausage roll, just press down with the ends, where the two pastry sections (dry and egg washed) have met and been pressed together.

Finally lay onto the two baking trays and brush with the remaining beaten egg generously and then place into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

For more party food inspiration there are a few ideas below:

Spiced Chicken Goujons
Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Blinis
Children's Vegetable Train
Children's Caterpillar Sandwiches 
Skinny Spicy Breaded Prawns
Prawn Summer Rolls