• MURGEZ AND CHICKEN PAELLA
• TOAD IN THE HOLE
• FILLET OF LAMB WITH SAUSAGE
• SAUSAGE AND BEAN CASSEROLE

The longest sausage ever made measured 36.74 miles long (59.14km). A man named J.J. Tranfield made it in Sheffield on October 27th-29th, 2000. Many people think that, on the whole, sausages contain the leftovers from a slaughtered animal and in certain cases this can be true. The cheapest sausages on the market contain less meat and more fat whilst the better sausages have a higher content of quality meat.

To ensure that you are buying the best sausages;

• Look for nice plump and juicy sausages with a meat content of 70% or more. The meat should be packed tight with no air bubbles.
• The skins of the sausages should be natural and not artificial. Their skins should also be shiny.
• Look for a Quality Standard mark on the packaging.
• Look at the ingredients and choose the sausages with fewer or, better still, no E numbers.
• Be wary of packaged sausages that don't display any of the British quality marks because they have probably made from cheap meat imported from abroad.
• Avoid sausages that contain a high water content or have been bulked up with cheap ingredients such as excessive fat, bread and rusk.
• Remember, the more you pay the better the quality. If you're unsure don't be afraid of seeking advice from your butcher.

The most popular method of cooking sausages is grilling, which is hardly surprising given our health-conscious society these days! Frying is still favoured by some but this is on the wane with more and more people seeking to eat less calories and fat. Piercing the sausages means that you lose all the juices thus drying out the meat but it is better for you. However, the choice is yours!