Smoky onion sausage rolls

This is based off Delia Smith’s recipe from her Christmas cookbook. I adapt it slightly by using a mix of lard and butter, which I find gives a more complex flavour, but you can use all lard or all butter if you wish.

For the Quick Flaky Pastry

37.5g block butter

37.5g block lard

110g plain flour

A pinch of salt

Ice cold water to mix

Method

Keeping the fats very cold, in a bowl, dip your butter and lard into the flour and then grate into the bowl. Using a knife, mix the fats into the flour and season with salt and pepper. Then bring the dough together by slowly trickling in ice cold water. Don’t add too much water; you should get a ball of dough which you then need to rest.

For the filling:

225g good quality pork sausagemeat

2 tablespoons Manfood smoky onion relish

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Rest the dough in a freezer bag in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile mix the sausagemeat, onion and seasoning together in a mixing bowl, then divide it into two and roll each piece with your hands on a lightly floured surface to 30cm long. Put them on a piece of parchment, or a tray, whilst you roll out the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 220C, Gas mark 7.

Roll out the pastry to form an oblong approximately 30 x 20cm. Cut this oblong into two strips 30 x 10cm and divide the sausagemeat also into two, making two long rolls the same length as the strips of pastry (if it’s sticky sprinkle on some flour and flour your hands). Place one roll of sausagemeat onto one strip of pastry. Brush the beaten egg along one edge, then fold the pastry over and seal it as carefully as possible. Roll the whole thing over so the sealed edge is underneath. Roll lightly and repeat with the second piece of pastry and sausagemeat.

Then use a small sharp knife to cut each roll into six sausage rolls, each about 5cm long. Score three slashes on the top of each roll and brush with beaten egg. Place the rolls on the baking sheet and bake high in the oven for 20-25 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool.

These are best eaten on the day, but they do freeze beautifully: simply put them raw on trays, freeze, then scrape off the trays and bag – you can bake from frozen as needed, so why not double the recipe?