Look, we’re the first to admit we’ve made some pretty obscure sausages over the past nine years. But we can sincerely say we feel like every one of them has ended up tasting delicious. We don’t see the point in creating a novelty sausage just for the sake of it. But the Hot Cross Bun sausage tested us to the limit. We knew we wanted to mirror the flavours of the bun (orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, sultanas etc.) but would we able to do it when mixed with meat? The answer - after a lot of experimenting - was a resounding yes. The trick (as obvious as this seems) was to use actual Hot Cross Buns in the mix. Toasted, blitzed and added to ground lamb with a bunch of the seasonings mirrored, it has come out really, really, really, really well. Thee sausages are great on the fire but can also be fried up or breakfast and served with…yes…Hot Cross Buns. Here, we have used them in our version of Toad In The Hole. If you want to give this recipe a try, check out the below.
What you’ll need: (Serves 4 - 6)
170g plain flour
3 eggs
500ml milk
2 x tbsp olive oil
4 x FFMM Hot Cross Bun sausages
2 x fennel bulbs, quartered plus fronds for garnish
What to do:
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Whisk the eggs and the milk together in a jug. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add two teaspoons of salt. Make a well in the centre. Add the eggs and milk, and whisk until the batter is smooth. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Arrange the sausages and fennel in a baking dish and drizzle with oil. Roast for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately pour the batter around the fennel and sausages, leaving some surface exposed. Cook for a further 30-35 minutes until the batter has risen and has a nice golden colour to it.
Serve immediately, garnished with fennel fronds.
(TIP: You can garnish this dish with anything you think of, that would make up a Hot Cross Bun. Dried fruit and/or any spices, or even orange zest.)