A Unique Twist on a Classic British Sausage
I'll start by addressing the elephant in the room: I am a big Marmite fan. That is why, as soon as I saw The Jolly Hog had introduced Marmite-flavoured sausages, they had my attention. Now I know a concentrated yeast extract spread is not everybody's cup of tea. In fact, to some people, it is their idea of food hell. But what I really wanted to know was whether the flavour could effectively work inside a great British banger. And could it perhaps even convert someone who was not a fan?
Well, as luck would have it, my girlfriend does not like Marmite, so I decided to use her as a guinea pig. And while I was at it, I was also going to give The Jolly Hog's Colman's Mustard sausages a go too. Full disclosure here, we are both mustard fans so I had high hopes for them already. The Marmite ones, though, I thought might be a bit of a stretch for someone who already hates Marmite.
Quality and Ingredients Matter
The one thing that did give me some hope was that, Marmite flavoured or not, these are some premium bangers. Not only did they look the part, but a quick check on the back showed that the sausage meat was 80 per cent British, outdoor-bred, RSPCA-assured pork, sitting inside a natural pork casing.
In my experience, most supermarket bangers hover around the 60 per cent mark, while the pricier ones tend to be around 70 per cent. On the other hand, you don't want the pork percentage to be too high. I love sausages for their texture and flavour, which is helped by the addition of things like herbs, spices, and things like breadcrumbs or rusk. They are also not traditionally made with 100 per cent pork, so the 80 per cent figure is around my sweet spot.
Cooking the Sausages
Anyhow, onto the cooking. I was once asked a professional chef how he cooked sausages and he said to fry them on a low heat, turning them every few minutes. I've done that ever since and it gives you a lovely colour on the outside without them burning or bursting, and this was no exception.
I could not help but give them a sniff as I took them out of the packet and I couldn't detect any odour of Marmite, so I was surprised that, when they really started colouring up, I could smell that tell-tale tang - and it left me salivating.
They were so aromatic that I worried they would almost be overpowering - but no, not a bit of it. They were delicious. They had just the right amount of Marmite - not enough to dominate what was a delicious, juicy pork sausage in its own right, but easily enough to give it that unmistakably savoury, Marmite flavour.
The Mustard Bangers
To my surprise, the second batch of sausages did not give off any particular mustard aroma when raw or while frying. This made me think that perhaps they would be lacking in flavour, but boy was I wrong. They were packed with it, which was unmistakably English mustard. Sausages and mustard are already a winning combination, so to have the two in one package was delightful.
If I had one complaint, I would have liked just a touch more heat to the mustard bangers, but that is splitting hairs - they were still delicious. In both cases, the bangers themselves were juicy and flavoursome, even if they had not had the Marmite and mustard.
Final Thoughts
I also thought both sausages would bring an extra zing to something like a sausage casserole without being overpowering - even if your guests were not Marmite or mustard fans.
But the big question - was my girlfriend converted? It was a tentative yes. The balance of Marmite was just right - strong enough to taste without enough to overpower. I'm not sure I'll see her slathering Marmite on her toast in the mornings, but some more Marmite sausages in our weekly shop are a most definite possibility.
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