Lincolnshire Sausages

My paternal grandmother grew up in a small country village in Lincolnshire called Crowland.  I was fortunate to be taken over there by her when I was younger. (If you are ever in the region it is well worth a quick visit just to see the glorious Abbey)

Aerial view of Crowland Abbey

On our visit we stayed for 2 weeks with my Nan's aunt, Aunt Zena.  Aunt Zena was just a lovely old duckie.  She taught me many crafts and skills whilst we stayed there with her.

Aunt Zena lived in a 3 bedroom bungalow down in Rayleigh in Essex.  She and her husband, Uncle Ted, grew all their own vegetables in an enormous garden that seemed to stretch forever.  We were there just as summer was ending and autumn was beginning, so she was very busy 'putting down' her harvest.

One recipe that she shared with me was the family version of the Lincolnshire Sausage. Aunt Zena told me that her Gran taught her to make it (my Nan's great grandmother). It comes with several rules - you need at least 20% white pork fat or the sausages are too dry, you can only add sage, salt and a tiny amount of pepper.  Aunt Zena very forcibly told me that if you add anything else, it can no longer be called Lincolnshire Sausage and is just a sausage.

In the school holidays I taught my Miss 12 how to make them.  I love the thought that a recipe that her Great Great Great Grandmother made will be made and enjoyed by her too.

Lincolnshire Sausages

800g Pork (leg, or shoulder)

200g White Pork Fat (no skin)

Now my Aunt Zena had her own mincing machine (which I don't!), she would ground it on a course setting.  She told me never to use a fine setting as there should be some 'chunks' in there (that's what teeth are for, young lady!)

I purchased my prok already minced from Coles, it looked to me to have close to the right ratio of meat and fat. You will need a kilo.

One large bunch of Sage - leaves only (which equals around 2 bunches if you are buying it retail)

1 handful salt

2 handfuls breadcrumbs (her advice was to always use dried breadcrumbs as they absorb the fat better)

sprinkle of white pepper

If you have a sausage machine - don't use synthetic sausage skins - use the real deal (Aunt Zena said so)

Finely chop the sage, and incorporate it into the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper, then mix in the mince.  Don't over mix it or squish it up too much, you want to mix it just until it all comes together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. It should look like this:

Ready for the fridge for 30 mins

Now, not having a sausage machine, we just wet our hands and shaped them into  fat chipolata shapes.  If you are using a sausage machine, make them fat juicy ones!!  After shaping, place in the fridge for an additional 30 minutes.  Aunt Zena's advice was to leave them until the next day, but we didn't have time for that!

Shaped and ready to cook!

Aunt Zena said they must always be cooked in a frypan, never in an oven or under a stove grill.  She did admit they could be cooked on a BBQ, but must always have the heat from beneath (I have no idea why). She did tell me that when she was a child they would have them on firecracker night cooked on big sticks on the bonfire.

Nice and Juicy!

General consensus of the family was that they are the best sausages they have ever eaten - I hope you enjoy them too!

Kids and Life Skills

One of the jobs we have as parents is to prepare our kids for the life they will live once they move out of home.  I’ve been a little negligent in this respect with my younger kids. 

With my first born I was all for him learning independence, but when the other kids came along, it quite often came down to doing things myself instead of taking the time to teach them.  Mainly because it was quicker.

I’ve done them a disservice, as well as myself. 

As a stay at home mum I have mainly thought ALL the things were MY job because I stay at home – my thinking has changed – they are NOT all my jobs.  Some of these things are essential to my kid’s development and maturity.

These school holidays I am setting myself and my kids some goals.  We are starting off with cooking. 

Such an essential life skill that I haven’t really taken the time (or the effort) to teach my younger ones.  And I’m not talking about making pancakes or cakes from packets.

My plan is to teach them all the essentials – buying and cooking ‘in season’ foods, showing them the price differences, quality differences, value for money.  I am also going to teach them how to make good, tasty food that is inexpensive.  Who knows what their budgets will be like once they leave home? I will be teaching them how to use kitchen equipment such as food processors, blenders, etc – but also teach them how to do without these things (I know I couldn't afford stuff like that when I first left home)

I’m also planning on teaching them, food storage, making condiments, differences between ‘homemade’ and shop bought, and how to use leftovers. And, most importantly – how to clean up afterwards WITHOUT using a dishwasher (I’m expecting tears over this one) I may also make them cook and eat offal!

NSW are coming to the end of a mammoth 11 week school term.  I am spending some time this week to set aside some recipes and ideas for us to do together over the next two weeks. Some are new recipes and quite a few are old family favourites that have been passed down from both of my grandmothers.

As my kids range in ages from 18 to 6, the recipes will be wide ranging, and there should be things in there that kids of any age can complete and participate in.

If you would like to join in, I am using the hashtag #mdlifeskills on instagram and twitter (my handle for both is @mumdeep), and feel free to post your links in the comments below.

If you need to know what fruits and vegetables are in season at the moment, visit my previous post here.  There is a link to a pdf you can download and print off.