Sausage Review - we review sausages

Old English sausage sounded just right to take home after my annual trip to the city with a visit to Lidgate’s of Holland Park, London W11, being part of the itinerary.

Just a few doors along from Holland Park tube on the Central Line, this butchery is stunning, oozes tradition and real old English charm. You are politely and professionally served, your produce is bagged up and then passed to you at the end of the counter where you pay a cashier at the window. This is not something you see very often these days and is “how it used to be”. The whole experience was special even if I didn’t sample the award winning pies, the cheeses, the meats, and all the other foodie delights this shop has to offer!

Lidgate’s is a fourth generation family business that’s been established now for some 150 years, using absolutely top notch free range beef, pork, lamb etc., from some very good suppliers (name drop coming up) such as Highgrove and Gatcombe Park. (Yes that Highgrove and Gatcombe Park!) Pork is also sourced from Lone Barn Farm in Surrey and White Colne near Colchester in Essex where the animals are free range, and are fed on a natural diet free from growth hormones, antibiotics and animal protein.

Well when I got back home, the troops did comment, what more sausages! We thought you were going to a business reunion luncheon! Frankly I took the abuse on the chin as I really wanted to try these immediately, even though I had been out for lunch.

Now old English recipe sausages we’ve found do vary in their seasonings quite a bit, so we’ll refer to these ones as LIDGATE’S OLD ENGLISH for clarity. These are a low salt Victorian recipe, with sage and ground cloves.

I had bought half a dozen, and when unpacked they were all completely different sizes and weights on the same string…a sure sign they were hand-made! Really good looking 76% meat content in the raw in natural skins, not overly stuffed and tied very well. In the pan and frying away, the aroma was frankly “very good”!

Cooked up the skins performed perfectly with no splits at all, and none of that annoying sausage eruption at the ends when the skins shrink down and tighten. OK a little extra residual oil in the pan was noted but only a little I hasten to add.

Quite a coarse meat texture, but not at all crumbly. Certainly not short on succulence. Reasonable shrinkage and weight loss. The bite was very good, but the taste was even better if I’m personally honest. You get slight pepper, and touch of clove, (although I didn’t get the sage) but all in all a very decent taste. Agreed not as spiced as we thought they would be, but definitely a “blooming good” sausage. Yes, Ok quite expensive at £11.99 / Kg but very good quality all the same.

Sadly the entire Lidgate’s Old English samples here disappeared all too quickly in sandwiches, so it looks like I may need to pop in to town again to get some more to try with my mash and onion gravy!

Note to self: “Get some more” .

Lidgate's (Holland Park W11) - Old English (Dec 2015)

Here's the sample details:
130x30mm before cooking, 120x30mm after.
95g before cooking, 82g after.
That's a shrinkage of approx 7% & weight loss of approx 13%.
6 loose sausages £7.99   (£11.99/kg)

 

C. Lidgate
110 Holland Park Avenue
London W11 4UA

020 7727 8243

www.lidgates.com