Round two of the taste tests, this time it was sausages. I thought that this taste test would be a tricky one as everyone likes different sausages. Personally my favourite are cold pork chipolatas- I often cook a pack just to put in the fridge and eat later. However, when I was working at ‘Spirit of Christmas’ I tried a Wild Boar and Apple sausage. Wow. It was amazing. I vowed to branch out a bit from pork chipolatas and try some new varieties. First off I had to work out who made the best sausages; my local butcher – Macken Bros or my local supermarket- Sainsbury’s. 

I decided to test good ol’ Cumberland sausages from each place. 

I grilled the sausages in the oven, made a creamy mash with butter and whole milk, and made a chunky onion gravy. I am not the gravy maker in this house and it was my first solo attempt at gravy- I think it turned out pretty good. I sautéed some red onions in butter, added a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of brown sugar, half a pint of water and a beef stock cube. 

I invited my friends SJ, Sasha and Ellie over to partake in the taste test.

Everyone picked out the butcher’s sausage straight away. It had far more herbs and flavour than the Sainsbury’s sausage. Ellie, Sash and I agreed that the butcher’s sausage was far superior. SJ, on the other hand, said that she liked the Sainsbury’s sausage more! 

The next day I had a sausage sandwich for lunch- yes I had purposefully cooked extra sausages so I could have some cold the next day! The difference between the two really shone through when they were cold; the butcher’s Cumberland makes a way better sandwich than the Sainsbury’s one! 

Sainsbury’s Cumberland Sausage: £1.99 for 8 Sausages

Butcher’s Cumberland Sausage: £2.55 for 6 Sausages

Whilst there is a cost difference I would definitely pay the extra money for the improved taste. I’m looking forward to trying the different flavour sausages available at Mackens over the next couple of weeks.