Black Pudding and Pork Sausage Rolls with Homemade Brown Sauce

You cannot beat a sausage roll. And with added black pudding, these are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Served with a homemade brown sauce, these would be ideal served at party, as a hearty midweek dinner for the family or packed up for a picnic.

Makes 8 sausage rolls  

Prep time: 45 minutes + chilling time 

Cook time: 1 hour 

For the sausage rolls: 
1 tsp vegetable oil  
1 red onion, finely chopped 
350g Pork Sausages 
200g Black Pudding  
1 x 320g sheet of puff pastry 
Leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme 
2 garlic cloves, crushed 
1 cox apple, grated 
½ tsp fennel seeds  
1 heaped tbsp wholegrain mustard  
Splash worcestershire sauce  
2 medium eggs, beaten and separated  
Plain flour for dusting 
Nigella seeds, to sprinkle   

1. Add the red onion to a small pan with the vegetable oil and fry over a medium heat until softened. Allow to cool.  

2. Remove the puff pastry from the fridge 30 mins before cooking to come to room temperature.  

3. Remove the skins from the sausages and add to a large bowl.  

4. Remove the casing from the black pudding slices and crumble into the bowl.  

5. Add the cooked red onion, thyme, garlic, apple, fennel seeds, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, one beaten egg and some seasoning. Mix well with your hands until combined.  

6. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and unroll the pastry. Roll the sheet so it becomes roughly 1cm wider on each side before cutting lengthways into two even strips. 

7. Split the sausage and black pudding mixture between the two strips of pastry. Lightly brush some beaten egg down one side of each pastry length then fold the opposite side of the pastry over to meet the other. Lightly press together so the seam is well sealed. 

8. Trim the end of each log then slice into 4 even sized rolls and place on a lined baking tray, spaced apart. Brush with more beaten egg then chill for 30 minutes in the fridge or flash freeze for 10 minutes to help set the shape. 

9. Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C. Brush the sausage rolls again with more beaten egg to get a golden colour, sprinkle with a few nigella seeds and bake for 25-30 minutes until they are cooked all the way through, have a lovely golden colour, and no soggy bottom!  

10. Cool for a few minutes before serving warm or let them cool completely before packing up to enjoy cold on a picnic or in a lunchbox. 

For the homemade brown sauce: (this makes extra)

4 plums, roughly chopped  
2 apples, peeled and roughly chopped  
1 red onion, roughly chopped  
200g medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped  
90g light brown sugar 
90g cider vinegar 
1 tbsp black treacle 
1 tbsp tamarind paste  
1 tbsp tomato puree  
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce  
1/2 tsp allspice 
1 tsp ground ginger 
1 cinnamon stick 
½ tsp ground cloves 
1 tsp cayenne pepper 
Salt and pepper 

1. Add the plums, apple, red onion and dates to a medium sized pan with 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 30-40 mins until softened.  

2. Once softened, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on a low heat uncovered for 45 mins, adding a splash of water if necessary.  

3. Allow to cool slightly, then blitz with a hand blender until smooth, taste for seasoning, before serving with the sausage rolls.