British Sausage Rolls
Seasoned pork sausage meat encased in layers of flaky, buttery puff pastry and baked until golden — the defining pastry of British party food, the pub, the picnic, and the Christmas buffet. Equally good hot from the oven or cold from the fridge.
- 1 packagepuff pastry sheets(2 sheets, thawed)
- 1 lbground pork
- 1 tbspfresh sage(minced)
- 1 tspfresh thyme(minced)
- 1/4 cupyellow onion(finely grated)
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
- 1/8 tspnutmeg
- 1 largeegg(beaten, for wash)
- 1 tspflaky sea salt(for topping)
Unbaked rolls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 5-10 minutes.
- 1Mix pork with sage, thyme, onion, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until well combined
- 2Roll each puff pastry sheet into a 12x10 inch rectangle
- 3Divide sausage mixture in half, form each into a log along the long edge of pastry
- 4Roll pastry around sausage, sealing edge with egg wash
- 5Chill rolls 20 minutes, then cut each into 8 pieces
- 6Place on baking sheet seam-side down, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with flaky salt
- 7Cut 2 small slits in top of each roll
- 8Bake at 400°F for 22-25 minutes until deep golden brown
- 9Serve warm with English mustard
Use good quality sausage meat - it makes all the difference. Chill assembled rolls before baking for maximum flakiness.
The sausage roll is one of Britain's most enduring and beloved savory pastries, with a documented history stretching back to the early 19th century. The concept of wrapping meat in dough is ancient — both Greeks and Romans made similar preparations — but the modern British sausage roll as a distinct street food took shape during the Napoleonic era, when versions made with seasoned pork became popular with London's working class as an affordable, portable meal. The first confirmed newspaper mention of "sausage rolls" appears in the Bury and Norwich Post on 20 September 1809, which references a street vendor selling them alongside buns and saloop. The Times followed with its own mention in 1864. Early versions were made with shortcrust pastry rather than puff pastry; puff pastry was perfected in 17th-century France and eventually became the British standard, giving the sausage roll its characteristic flaky, layered texture. The Industrial Revolution accelerated the sausage roll's rise: as urbanization drew workers into cities and factories, quick, filling, hand-held food became a necessity, and sausage rolls became fixtures at bakeries, markets, and sporting events throughout Victorian England. By the 20th century they had expanded from street food to a staple of party buffets, children's parties, and Christmas spreads across Britain and the broader Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand. Today, the bakery chain Greggs sells approximately 2.5 million sausage rolls per week across the United Kingdom.