Where have all the sausage rolls gone?

"The sausage roll is a comfort food whose uncomplicated nature, the way it offers an all-enveloping bearhug of crowd-pleasing savoury flavours, is the essence of its appeal. Sausage rolls are not meant to challenge you. They should convey an almost narcotic sense of warmth and well-being." Tony Naylor - The Guardian

Today I went to Doncaster Shopping Town to get my eyes tested and to buy a new quilt cover, after my italian lesson. So I needed a quick bite of something to eat to keep me fortified whilst I did the equivalent of my walk into Eltham, whilst walking up and down the corridors of Doncaster. I decided to treat myself to a sausage roll - a guilty pleasure of mine - and headed for the shop where I usually bought them. Disaster - it had closed down. Time was ticking and I decided to do the eye thing and then find another place. So that's what I did, except that there were none. I trawled every little kiosk in the corridors and the massive food hall at the end. There was every kind of Italian, and Asian street food you could think of, not to mention every kind of sandwich and wrap, McDonald's and Subway, sushi, focaccia and kebabs - all in huge portions. But no sausage rolls. Well that's not quite true. I did see some in a posh bakery but they were $8.00 each which is several dollars more than I was prepared to pay. Now I do know that they are unhealthy - but an occasional splurge is alright. I guess they are just not trendy enough.

I walked up and down for ages and was about to give up and go home for a stale bun with some cheese, when I finally found one at Muffin Break - a relatively modest little kiosk. And it was delicious. The lady and I agreed it was better without tomato sauce, and when I read Tony Naylor's delightful piece on how to eat a sausage roll I see that he agrees. No sauce, no mucking about with the filling, and hot not warm and definitely not cold.

I have made them at home - mostly cheating with bought puff pastry, but sometimes using Delia Smith's flaky pastry recipe. Tony Naylor thinks you should keep the filling simple - and use the meat from inside 'real' sausages, rather than sausage meat. I can't say I have ever tried with actual sausages, but I have made the sausage meat from scratch - well almost - using minced pork or beef - whatever. Obviously you can put whatever you like in them and just about every cook and chef has a recipe. Felicity Cloake also gives a useful summary of the options, though her final version looks a little droopy to me. You can also make them as big or as small as you like - I see they have just brought out a one foot long version in England. And the Americans have had the nerve (say the British) to bring out a hog dog in puff pastry and call it a sausage roll and to add insult to injury have said they invented it. Dear me.

Anyway it seems they are disappearing from food halls. You can probably still buy them at football matches - I don't know. Anyway I love them even though I shouldn't.

"The sausage roll is an indulgence. Embrace that." Tony Naylor