In Search of Sausage, Bacon, Pork Pie and Haslet etc.

We went to our old Butcher today, to see if the sausage is as good as it used to be.  We were a bit disappointed a few years ago with the last batch of sausages and OH was not a happy bunny.  We have therefore tried to locate other Butchers, but they were never quite the same, in flavour although some of them were really nice there was something missing.  So we are trialling them again.  You cannot beat a good sausage!😍

I was disappointed down in Cornwall, not to find any sausages that passed muster which really did it to me as  was craving comfort food especially during some of the storms earlier on in the holiday.  So I suggested to himself that we go back and try again. Unfortunately I cannot get to it easily so  do rely on himself to take me there.

For many years this Butcher graced Peterborough. They were a multi-award winning Butchers and they have fed many a Peterborian over the years. 

I remember as a small child being brought into Peterborough where they used to have a stall on the market and then latterly a shop down lower Bridge Street in Peterborough.  Their Pork dripping was to die for, it was always in large metal vats bigger than a Maslin Pan, with lots of jelly and a medium line of fat. You bought it by weight, not in little pots like you do now.  This was the proper stuff and then there were their Pork Pies!  I am talking about Franks the Butchers.  

A few years back their shop in Peterborough at the end of Westgate Arcade was sold off as they felt they had reached the end of the line and another local Butcher took it over.  At the beginning of Covid, they closed the shop and it has never reopened although they still have branches in Market Deeping and Stamford.  

Purely by chance I found out that Franks was trading again but on a smaller basis, being run by one of the son's of the original owners.  They are on Facebook and the link is here for those of you interested.  Frank Brothers Butchers

This morning therefore we went over to their shop which is located at The Square, Off Vicarage Farm Road in Peterborough.  It is a small working  unit, with no shop face per se.  They do not have facilities for cooking pies, sausage rolls and Haslet like they used to.  However, they do supply you with everything you need to cook it yourself including the cooking instructions and for the Pork Pies, the jelly stock to add to the pies after cooking.  The Pies are frozen and you cook them from frozen.  They are not difficult to do.

Here are the ones  have cooked today.

Here they are on the tray with the bags of jelly

After first 20 minutes at Gas mark 8, the heat is turned down to Gas Mark 6 for approximately one hour.

These are being left to cool overnight, and the jelly will be added tomorrow, then fridged to allow the jelly to set.

We also bought a Haslet (pronounced Ayslet where I am from), which again needs cooking.  I may do that later on to have with the Pork Pies and tomato ketchup for tomorrow.  The pies are cooked and it will be tomorrow before they are cool enough to add the jelly.  The Haslet I will cook tonight.

We have come away with a kilo of chipolatas, and a 1lb of sausages.  We were meant to have a Toad in the Hole tonight, but due to time constraints on something I am working on, that has been delayed until tomorrow night. Too much going on in the kitchen and it is only tiny.

So tomorrow will be judgment day in respect of the sausages.  I do hope they are like they used to be.  I am planning on cooking them by way of Toad in the Hole together with veggies and mashed potato.  Comfort food at its very best.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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