British sausage rolls are one of the best meaty appetizers you can make. These tasty morsels have a flavorful meat filling and flaky, buttery pastry that's perfect to enjoy whenever you're having company.
For more British treats, you also need to try our chicken and apricot pies and Ploughman's lunch!
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Ingredients
Wondering what you need to make a batch of British sausage rolls? Fortunately, you don't need anything hard to find to make this recipe! Let's talk about the most important ingredients in this delicious appetizer recipe.
- Ground Pork: Use a slightly higher meat-to-fat ratio to keep the sausage rolls less greasy; I did 85% lean and 15% fat.
- Spices: I added a variety of spices, including fennel, sage, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper for lots of flavors.
- Puff Pastry: Use store-bought or homemade. I used homemade rough puff pastry instead of full puff.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients to make British sausage rolls: ground pork, fennel seeds, ground sage, dried thyme leaves, ground nutmeg, salt, pepper, puff pastry, and a beaten egg.
- Mix the meat and spices together with a fork until well blended.
- Divide the meat between two large pieces of plastic wrap and use the wrap to shape the meat into two logs about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Twist the ends of the wrap and chill the meat in the fridge.
3. Roll out the puff pastry on a large cutting board to make a rectangle that's just a bit longer than the sausage logs (approximately 10x18 inches). Split it down the middle.
4. Unwrap the sausage logs and lay each one on a rectangle. Brush one edge of the pastry with a beaten egg.
5. Roll up the logs in the pastry and pinch the seam to seal. Trim off the ends to neaten the edges. (Save the offcuts; you can bake them on the same tray.)
6. Place the logs on a small baking tray and freeze for 10 minutes to harden the pastry. Slice each log into about 12 pieces and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 400 F for 40-50 minutes, until well browned. It's important that the pastry is completely cooked, or your British sausage rolls won't taste as good.
8. Let them cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving. Serve warm with HP sauce, English mustard, chutney, or piccalilli.
Recipe FAQs
It's made with puff pastry and seasoned ground pork filling. The pastry is rolled around the sausage and then sliced. They can be made in small pieces as an appetizer, or in larger rolls for the main course. With one taste, you'll understand why one bakery chain in England sells about 140 million of these per year!
Yes, they are usually called pigs-in-a-blanket and made with pre-cooked link sausages and crescent rolls.
Early versions were around in Greek and Roman times, but precursors of the modern type came from France. It was recognized as a British food in the 1800s and has been popular ever since.
Although they aren't the healthiest snack, British sausage rolls are actually not extremely unhealthy. Each one made from our recipe is 175 calories and contains 12.9g of fat and 165.6mg of sodium. Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe card to read the full nutrition facts.
Serve
They're typically served on their own, but here are some sauces and dips you can serve them with to add additional flavor.
- HP sauce (our personal favorite)
- English mustard, such as Colman's
- Chutney, such as Branston pickle
- Piccalilli
- Applesauce
Store
- Make ahead: Assemble them and freeze them before baking them for up to three months.
- Leftovers: Store in the fridge to prevent foodborne illnesses for up to three days. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Reheat: If frozen, preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) and place the frozen British sausage rolls on a parchment-lined baking tray and brush with a beaten egg. Bake at 400 F for 50-60 minutes, until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the meat is cooked. Immediately place the baked sausage rolls on a wire cooling rack to cool. Reheat thawed sausage rolls in the oven at 375 F or in the microwave until hot.
- Freezer: Place the unbaked rolls on a baking tray and cover them loosely with plastic wrap. Don't brush with egg wash yet. Flash freeze for a couple of hours until fully frozen. Seal the rolls inside of a zip-top freezer bag or an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. There's no need to defrost before reheating.
Variations
- Brush mustard, jam, or chutney on the pastry before placing the meat on top.
- Mix some sautéed onions, mushrooms, or other veggies into the meat to add additional flavor.
- Serve with HP sauce or spicy English mustard for dipping.
Expert Tips
- Short on time? Squeeze the meat out of your favorite sausages instead of using ground pork.
- Don't over-handle the meat, or it will be tough.
- Freeze the British sausage rolls for 10 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing them and baking. Otherwise, the pastry won't puff up as much or be as flaky.
- Prevent soggy pastry by removing your British sausage rolls from the cookie sheet as soon as they're done baking.
- Bake frozen British sausage rolls without thawing. Just remember to increase the baking time.
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Recipe
British Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 ½ pounds ground pork, 85% meat, 15% fat
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Pastry
- 1.3 lb rough puff pastry or puff pastry
- 1 large egg, beaten
Instructions
Preparing the Filling (10 min)
- Place the ground pork in a large mixing bowl and add the spices. Mix with a fork until well combined. Don't mix any longer than necessary, or the meat mixture will get tough.
- Cut two large pieces of plastic wrap and lay them flat on the counter. Divide the meat mixture between the two pieces, then shape them into logs. Make sure each log is well wrapped in the plastic wrap.
- Chill the logs in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
Making the Sausage Rolls (30 min + 35 min baking)
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line an 11 by 17-inch rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat a fork until well blended.
- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it's just a bit longer than the meat logs (roughly 10x18 inches). Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise.
- Unwrap the meat logs, then lay them on top of the rectangles.
- Brush one long side of the rectangle with beaten egg, then roll the pastry tightly over the sausage so it overlaps. Pinch the seam closed, then place the roll seam side down.
- Place both logs on a small parchment-lined cookie sheet and brush them all over with beaten egg. Chill in the freezer for 10 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden the pastry. This is an important step; don't skip it.
- Slice the roll into about 12 pieces and place them about an inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake at 400 F for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is well browned and the meat is cooked. Test the meat's temperature by stacking two or three rolls and sticking a meat thermometer through the center. The temperature should be 160 F.
- Immediately transfer them to a wire rack to cool a little. Serve warm with HP sauce or English mustard.
Notes
- Short on time? Squeeze the meat out of your favorite sausages instead of using ground pork.
- Don't over-handle the meat, or it will be tough.
- Freeze British sausage rolls for 10 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing them and baking. Otherwise, the pastry won't puff up as much or be as flaky.
- Prevent soggy pastry by removing the rolls from the cookie sheet as soon as they're done baking.
- To freeze unbaked sausage rolls, flash freeze them on a cookie sheet, then store in an airtight container or freezer bag. They can be baked from frozen; just remember to increase the baking time.
Nutrition
Our British sausage rolls recipe was originally published on May 25, 2018.
Jacki
OH MY GOODNESS!!! My 26 and 28 year old kids and I decided to do a “British” then menu for Thanksgiving. These were the appetizer and simply fabulous. My son fussed at my daughter and me because we kept eating so many that there weren’t many to have at the meal itself. We told him they were appetizers, but I think we stuffed ourselves but good! We made a spicy mustard, honey and horse radish dip to go along with them. We will be making these again SOON!
Emma
That's absolutely wonderful to hear, Jacki! I love British food--especially these sausage rolls--and am thrilled to hear that they were such a hit with your family! Enjoy!
Judy Miller
I've made these rolls several times and everyone loves them. I brushed the pastry with Dijon mustard, then carmelized onions before I put the sausage in the pastry puff. I also used l lb Italian sweet sausage and 1/2 lb of Jimmy Dean sage. Used 2 tsp of fresh thyme and 2 tsp of fresh sage.
Perfect recipe.
Emma
Thank you so much, Judy! I love the idea of adding caramelized onions and Dijon mustard!