Homemade sausage rolls are a staple in my family and no two batches ever taste the same because of the varying ingredients that go in each time. We make the most of what’s in the fridge at the time and the best surprise I ever got in one was when my Dad had used pork & veal mince instead of beef. They were outstanding.

For this year’s RSPCA Cupcake Day I quickly put my hand up to volunteer covering the demand for savoury options. Sausage rolls are always popular in my workplace so they were the most obvious, easy and delicious choice.

Ingredients:
500g beef sausage mince (from the butcher section in your supermarket)
3 – 4 stale slices of bread, ripped into chunks
1 small handful of fresh herbs (I used flat leafed parsley & oregano for this batch)
2 tbs sauce of your choice (I used a BBQ sauce I picked up in Memphis but regular tomato sauce or sweet chilli works well)
2 bacon rashers, roughly chopped
1 egg
5 sheets of ready-made butter puff pastry
Full cream milk or an egg wash

Method:
Pre-heat fan forced oven to 180 degrees C. Take pastry out of the freezer to thaw. Squeeze beef mince into a large mixing bowl. In a food processor, add bacon, herbs and whizz until finely chopped. Gradually incorporate the bread and whizz until the mixture takes on a breadcrumb-like texture. Tip into the mixing bowl with the mince. Crack egg into the bowl, add sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Cut pastry sheets into equal quarters. Spoon some mince mix onto each quarter; a generous enough serving but not too much that it oozes out when rolling the pastry up. Brush milk or egg wash along the edge of the pastry where the ends will meet then roll each one up. Place on a lined baking tray and repeat until all the mince is used. Brush each sausage roll with milk or egg wash and cut 2 small slits in each to let steam escape while cooking. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on size or until the rolls are golden brown.

Makes 30 mini rolls (6 from a sheet) or 20 regular sized rolls (4 from a sheet). The photo below is of mini rolls as this particular batch was for a fundraiser.