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  1. #1
    FarangRed
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    The great gourmet banger test

    The great gourmet banger test: Whether it’s pork and stilton or fennel and chilli, sales of posh sausages are sizzling.


    The season for hearty comfort food is upon us, and there’s nothing Brits love more than bangers. Sales of sausages are at an all-time high, with three billion consumed every year.

    Yet far from being a cheap option, the real boom has been in gourmet ranges, with specialised flavours or a high meat content, selling seven times more than budget bangers.

    But how healthy are posh sausages? Nutritionist Angela Dowden examined the contents of some of the best-sellers, while sausage-loving eight-year-old Archie Collins puts them to the taste test.

    Pork talk: Amanda Cable and son Archie test sausages

    WAITROSE: 6 ENGLISH PORK & CARAMELISED RED ONION SAUSAGES

    Price: £2.59 (43p per sausage)
    Pork content: Pork shoulder 41pc, pork belly 39pc
    Contains (per uncooked sausage)
    159 calories, 11.55 fat of which 4.8g saturated, 0.85g salt

    HOW THEY COOK: Caramelise nicely in the pan, and retain shape perfectly without giving off too much fat. Cook quickly and evenly. Succulent and packed with flavour.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: Most sausages contain preservatives. Look out for nitrates or nitrites, which can irritate the stomach. There’s nothing bad in here, and there is 80 per cent pork, which is good.

    Gourmet sausages tend to have more ingredients. As a guide, anything you recognise from your own store cupboard won’t be harmful.

    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: They were lovely and greasy to eat. I found the onion flavour too strong, but my mum and dad loved them.


    ALDI: ASHFIELD PORK & SUNDRIED TOMATO PREMIUM SAUSAGES


    Price: £1.99 (33p per sausage)
    Pork content: 77pc
    Contains (per uncooked sausage) 185 calories, 14.9g fat, of which 5.1g saturates, 0.9g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Gave off a fair amount of fat, which helped them to cook and colour nicely . Plenty of flakes of sundried tomato within the sausages, and deliciously moist to cut into.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: Women should have no more than 20g of saturated
    fat a day, so just one of these contains a quarter of your recommended daily allowance. Try to stick to two of these sausages. A five- to ten-year-old child should have only one per meal.


    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: My favourite! Taste was lovely and there wasn’t any fatty, gristly bits.



    MORRISONS: THE BEST PORK, BLOSSOM HONEY & ENGLISH HERB SAUSAGES

    Price: £2.59 (43p per sausage)
    Pork content: 78pc
    Contains (per grilled sausage)
    133 calories, 9g fat of which 3.8g saturates, 0.8g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: A nice thick sausage but difficult to cook evenly. Inside, delicate herbs gave a nice seasoning and the honey taste was subtle but pleasant.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: The saturated fat level is good for sausages, but for a supposed ‘gourmet’ sausage the meat content is a little on the low side.

    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: These were horrible — they tasted of washing-up liquid, not honey.



    SAINSBURY’S: TASTE THE DIFFERENCE ULTIMATE OUTDOOR BRED PORK SAUSAGES


    Price: £2 for six (33p per sausage)
    Pork content: 97pc
    Contains (per cooked sausage) 138 calories, 10.5g fat of which 3.8g saturates, 0.67g salt.


    HOW THEY COOK: These didn’t brown evenly, but they kept their very solid shape. A solid, meaty texture once cooked, but the taste was a little too bland.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: There is only 3 per cent of other ingredients in these sausages which is great. This means they are very high in meat, the saturated content is at the lower end and so is the salt level. If you are going to have a sausage, this one has a good clean list of ingredients and is high in protein. Protein curbs appetite,

    which means your body won’t crave too many.

    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: I found this really boring and bland. I would never be able to eat them unless they were covered in ketchup.


    ASDA: EXTRA SPECIAL VINTAGE CHEDDAR & ONION CHUTNEY PORK SAUSAGES

    Price £2.58 (43p per sausage)
    Pork content: 80pc
    Contains: (per cooked sausage) 163 calories, 7.9g fat of which 4.5g saturated, 0.85g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Very succulent, and cooks well in its own fat. Caramelised
    slightly to give a sweet and sticky skin — making the cooked sausage even tastier.


    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: There’s not enough Cheddar here to add to your saturated fat levels, so despite the fact that these sausages have cheese in, they are no more unhealthy than the others.

    Like all of the sausages we have tried, these contain sulphites which prevent food poisoning bugs developing. Sulphites are widely used, but you should note that they can cause wheezing with some asthmatics.

    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: I was surprised I liked these, because I don’t like Cheddar and I don’t like onions. But they were really tasty and juicy.


    LIDL: MILTON GATE PORK & BRAMLEY APPLE SAUSAGES


    Price: £1.99 (33p per sausage)
    Pork content: 77pc
    Contains: (per grilled sausage) 163 calories, 12.9g fat of which 4.7g saturates, 0.73g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Cooks quickly and easily, with a nice overall golden colour. Satisfying chunks of apple inside.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: The apple content certainly doesn’t make these any healthier. Sausages are great, but it’s not healthy to eat them all the time and you should grill rather than fry.

    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: The flavour was OK, but they were way too chewy. Like eating the dog’s toy bone.


    MARKS & SPENCER: SICILIAN-STYLE PORK, FENNEL & CHILLI SAUSAGES


    Price: £2.69 (44p per sausage)
    Pork content: 85pc
    Contains (per uncooked sausage) 170 calories, 14.1g fat of which 5.2g saturates, 0.93g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Looks delicious with a nice even colour, and sticky juices in the pan. Stay firm when cooked, with herbs and flakes of chilli clearly visible and adding a wonderful kick to the taste.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: The ingredients sound very posh, and this scores points for having just one preservative — E223.
    This sausage unlike many of the others does not contain wheat, so it is suitable for anyone allergic to gluten or wheat, particularly those with coeliac disease. But these sausages are relatively
    high in saturated fat and salt.


    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: Very spicy — I had to have a glass of milk after each mouthful. But really tasty.


    TESCO: FINEST BRITISH PORK & STILTON SAUSAGES


    Price: £2.59 (43p per sausage)
    Pork content: 80pc
    Contains (per uncooked sausage) 153 calories, 10.9g fat of which 4.3g saturates, 0.86g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Browned beautifully in the pan, with a nice even colour and tasty crunch on the outside.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT:
    These contain both phosphates and sulphites, whereas other sausages
    we tried managed to get by with one preservative.


    Relatively low in calories. Although the Stilton bumps up the saturated fat content very slightly, this is overall a moderately healthy sausage.

    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: Who wants cheese in a sausage? It was really horrible.


    THE PORKINSON BANGER


    Price: £2.47 (41p per sausage)
    Pork content: 80pc British pork shoulder
    Contains: (per grilled sausage)
    160 calories, 11.3g fat of which 4.5g saturates, 1.1g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Filled with lovely herbs which season the finished sausage
    perfectly. You can taste the salt but the cooked sausages have a lovely texture.


    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: Beware of the high salt content. Three of these sausages contain over half a teaspoon
    of salt in total — the same salt content as eight 25g bags of Walker’s ready salted crisps.


    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: Really yummy. It did taste quite salty and herby, but I liked that.

    COMPANY GREAT BIG SAUSAGES (OUR OVERALL WINNER)



    (Stocked in most branches of Waitrose)
    Price: £2.59 (43p per sausage)
    Pork content 85 pc
    Contains: (per uncooked sausage) 112 calories, 7.5g fat of which 2.7g saturates, 0.7g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Crisps and caramelises in the pan, and browns beautifully. Slighly thinner than the other sausages, so cooks quickly, too.

    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: These are great, because they contain up to a third less saturated fat than all of the other sausages we tested.

    I was encouraged to see that this maker has reduced fat content simply by using lower-fat cuts of meat, rather than reducing the meat content and sticking in rusk. These sausages also score points for being gluten-free. The healthiest option of all.

    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: Really yummy and the crunchiest sausages. No horrible bits inside, but still really full of flavour.

    PORKY WHITES SURREY PORK SAUSAGES




    (Selected branches of Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Asda and Morrisons)
    Price: £2.45 (40p per sausage)
    Pork content: 82pc
    Contains: (per grilled sausage) 177calories, 12.0g fat of which 4.5g saturates, 1.0g salt


    HOW THEY COOK: Cooks well in its own fatty juices, and is oozing with fat in every bite, which makes it tasty but not necessarily
    healthy!


    NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT: This has a high salt content, and just two of these sausages will equal a third of your daily recommended salt intake. They are fairly high in calories, too — one sausage is almost the equivalent
    of eating a Cadbury’s Flake bar.


    ARCHIE’S VERDICT: It was juicy and chewy in a good way. The flavour was OK, but not as nice as the others.


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...#ixzz11A4i3Bqi







  2. #2
    Philippine Expat
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    Great honest reviews from the kid - hasn't learned how to lie yet!

  3. #3
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    I used to buy locally made 'gourmet' sausages in the Adelaide hills- quite a large German heritage there. Then one day i picked up some cheapo BBQ bangers from a Coles supermarket- $1.99 a kilo, less than one fifth the price. And just as good.

  4. #4
    Sprayed On Member
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    I'm with Archie. Without even tasting them I know that the Pork & Sun Dried Tomato would be my favorites.

  5. #5

    R.I.P.


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    Quote Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton
    Great honest reviews from the kid - hasn't learned how to lie yet!
    Yeah great, reviews from a child whose mother feeds him the dogs toy bone
    Quote Originally Posted by FarangRed
    The flavour was OK, but they were way too chewy. Like eating the dog’s toy bone.

  6. #6
    Philippine Expat
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    The dog's bone got a bad review. I rest my case.

  7. #7
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    I went into a specialty food market here in the Gold Coast, counted 18 varieties of pork sausages on offer, probably the same number of Beef available.
    Its changed from the beef or pork days.

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat
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    Quote Originally Posted by peterpan
    went into a specialty food market here in the Gold Coast
    Long way from Udon mate?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by peterpan
    went into a specialty food market here in the Gold Coast
    Long way from Udon mate?
    It must be really exciting there. He's spending more time on TD whilst in Aus than he did in Udon.

  10. #10
    sabaii sabaii
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    You barstard!!

    Displaying all that on a Thai forum

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by peterpan
    went into a specialty food market here in the Gold Coast
    Long way from Udon mate?
    It must be really exciting there. He's spending more time on TD whilst in Aus than he did in Udon.
    Thats because its pissing down right now, as it has almost every day for the last 3 weeks

  12. #12
    FarangRed
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    same here in Phuket lashed it down in the night

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat
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    Quote Originally Posted by peterpan View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by peterpan
    went into a specialty food market here in the Gold Coast
    Long way from Udon mate?
    It must be really exciting there. He's spending more time on TD whilst in Aus than he did in Udon.
    Thats because its pissing down right now, as it has almost every day for the last 3 weeks
    We had a little rain last night but the weather is very nice here at the moment. Cool evenings and warm, clear days.

  14. #14
    FarangRed
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    I'd like to know who invented all the names for the sausages must have a degree in somethink

  15. #15
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    Would there be a market for these if could be made the same quality or better here in thailand?

  16. #16
    FarangRed
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    always looking for a good tasty bangher in Thailand

  17. #17
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    There's more to a carcass than you see at your butchers guess where the "spare parts" go..

  18. #18
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    A cheese and onion pork sausage? How utterly absurd.

    I want to taste the frigging pork and the juices, that's the whole point.

    Caramelised onions WITH the sausages is one thing, but in them?

    Heresy.

  19. #19
    Nostradamus
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    Quote Originally Posted by afghanpicker
    Would there be a market for these if could be made the same quality or better here in thailand?
    Probably not as Food Glorious Food make and sell sausages like this but they are not that popular.

  20. #20
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    My favorite's of this type of sausage are:

    Pork & Apple
    Pork & Leek
    Pork & Tomato

    Have not had any of them since I left the UK.

  21. #21
    FarangRed
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    I went to a BBQ on Sunday at one of my wife's clients and I have to say he had bought some bangers they were the best I have tasted for a long time I'll speak to him today and find out where he bought them.

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