Resurrecting old bangers

Yum: You can't beat bangers and mash
Silvena Rowe|Metro10 April 2012

Whether with mash, bacon and eggs, or as toad-in-the-hole, just about everyone loves bangers. They have been around for years, in various forms, dating back to way before Homer (who wasn't averse to singing their praises).


In fact, the sausage dates back to the invention of preserving meat - salting, curing and smoking - with pork being the main choice. It was the food of peasants and royalty alike. Queen Victoria insisted that the meat had to be chopped, not minced, so it did not lose its succulent juices.

Different nations and societies developed their own sausages, with flavours depending on their styles of cooking. So today there are hundreds of types, varying hugely in taste and consistency.

Sausages can be made from pork, beef, lamb, poultry, game and seafood. There are even veggie sausages available - Stella McCartney had veggie bangers and mash as the main meal for her recent high society wedding.

In years past, sausages were frowned on as the cheapest meal around. But today the best quality sausages can set you back at least £7 to £10 per kilo. Timothy Wilson, the man behind Ginger Pig in Borough Market (and, from November, Marylebone), produces pork sausages from old-fashioned pig breeds, such as Tamworth and Gloucester Old Spot, that were near extinction.

First catch your pig

'There are two kinds of markets,' says Timothy. 'The market of modern breeds that were developed to be lean and "healthy", regardless of the effect on their flavour. Those are fed concentrated diets to encourage growth. They are slaughtered young, giving an end result that often tastes of very little.

'And then there is the market for traditionally raised breeds, requiring slow maturing, like the Tamworth, giving that special taste and texture.'

As well as keen foodies, chefs such as Alistair Little and Jamie Oliver buy their bangers at the Ginger Pig. Traditional chorizo and prune and brandy sausages with a meat content of at least 90 per cent, sometimes closer to 100 per cent, are the most popular.

But should you feel like going out for bangers and mash, there are plenty of restaurants in the capital that will oblige.

Make a night of it

For the upmarket sausage and mash experience, visit Simpson'sinthe-Strand (Tel: 020 7836 9112). If you fancy a bit of spicy banger then head to Ma Goa in Putney (Tel: 020 8780 1767) for the ultimate Goan sausage.

A London-based chain of cafès - Sausages&Mash cafès, a kind of designer greasy spoon - specialises in the world's No.1 comfort food. There are branches in Portobello, Islington and Old Spitalfields Market; for details, e-mail s&mcafe@pinkfish.net

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