Phil Vickery's sausage rolls

Last weekend, Britons and Americans reacted with confusion and disbelief after finding out that our beloved sausage roll exists on only one side of the Atlantic.

A recipe for sausage rolls in the New York Times, along with the claim that it was a traditional British dish served on Boxing Day, prompted neighbours across both sides of the pond to quiz each other about the culinary cultural difference.

Phil Vickery is here to allay any fears and show our American cousins how to cook and serve the perfect British sausage roll.

Serves: makes 10Preparation time: 20 minutesCooking time:t 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

500g good quality sausage meat (20% fat)2 tsp dried sage½ tsp ground nutmeg½ tsp ground macepinch ground black pepper4 tbsp dried breadcrumbs500g good quality ready rolled all butter puff pastry1 small egg, beatenextra egg for glazing

Pre heat the oven to 190°C gas 5.

Method

• Mix all the ingredients for the filling together well

• Place the sheets of pastry on a board and cut into 6cm wide strips

• Brush well with the beaten egg

• Using a piping bag, pipe the sausage meat onto the strips, slightly to one side. Fold over and seal the edge well.

• Brush again with the beaten egg, then chill in the fridge

• Cut into small rolls and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until browned, crisp and cooked through.