Glamorgan Sausages

It's Meat Free Monday today and given last week's chatter about vegetarian sausages on BBC Radio 4's Kitchen Cabinet, I thought I'd share our favourite meat-free sausage recipe. These Glamorgan sausages aren't made with "meat substitutes" - just simple store cupboard ingredients.

Glamorgan sausages are an old-fashioned Welsh recipe, originating from Glamorgan in South Wales for skinless, meatless sausages. They were first recorded in the 19th century, when it was the norm for towns to have their own local sausages. I don’t know why they were originally vegetarian. During WWII this meatless recipe was revived, probably because of meat rationing. Let's revive it again, as making your own does guarantee you know what’s in your sausages!

Glamorgan Sausages

Makes 8 Sausages

Ingredients:

• 150g wholewheat breadcrumbs
• 150g strong cheddar, grated
• 6 spring onions, finely sliced with the best of the green
• 2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 egg yolks (keep the egg whites)

For rolling the sausages

• egg white
• polenta
• sunflower oil for frying

Method:

1. Whiz up the bread in the food processor.
2. Add all the other ingredients up to the eggs and whiz again, adding the egg yolks and mix. The consistency should be soft and malleable, but not sticky.
3. Divide the mixture into 8 similar sized pieces, roll each one into a thin sausage, about 8cms long, dip the sausages in the egg white and then roll them in the polenta.
4. Fry in sunflower oil until crisp and golden.
5. Serve with Herby Mash and Onion Gravy or with a full English Veggie breakfast.