The humble sausage roll, pimped up by a Nottinghamshire pub chef, has made it into the final of an iconic national competition. The Great Sausage Roll Off celebrates the popular snack taken to a whole new level by chefs, food writers and caterers from across the country.
Dan Coles, head chef at The Nelson in Burton Joyce, is hoping to impress the judges with his twist on the meaty pastry staple. He has combined a traditional filling of pork sausage meat, flavoured with sage and onion, and slow-cooked pork belly within flaky golden pastry. Hot out of the oven, it is glazed with warm crab apple jelly, using fruit given to the pub by a local customer.
The sticky jelly acts as a glue for shards of crushed home-made pork scratchings for added crunch. John Molnar, who owns the pub, in Chestnut Grove, said: "I helped... as in eating them.
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"We have had about 30 goes now, with trial and error. It's best served warm but it's amazing cold. It's been a labour of love. We didn't want to go too far from a sausage roll so it's still pork, with sage and onion, but the pork belly has been slow-cooked for 12 hours."
If your mouth is watering at the thought of it, there will be a chance to try it for yourself. Mr Molnar, who also runs the award-winning fish and chip shop chain, the Cod's Scallops, is just deliberating whether to put it on the menu at The Nelson before or after the grand final, which takes place in London on February 8.
The pub went through a series of heats to make it to the final at the Red Lion in Barnes, which created the annual contest in 2013. This year marks the return after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
Finalists will take part in a cook-off on the night with judging by a panel of experts, who in the past have included Michelin-starred chefs, MasterChef winners, food critics and other icons of the British culinary scene. The sausage rolls will also be sampled by members of the public, who will be crammed into the south west London pub.
The contest is hosted by managers of the Red Lion, Angus McKean and Claire Morgan, in a continued quest to find the best sausage roll in the land. Angus, the general manager, said: “Claire and I are really excited to bring Roll Off back. After nearly three years of no sausage rolling due to the pandemic, we’re ready to bring the competition back with a bang(er) and we can’t wait to see some new creations, innovations and clever twists on the famous classic.
“We started Roll Off as a bit of fun back in 2013 and it was an instant success – capturing people’s imagination and giving a night of serious, tongue-in-cheek fun for some very talented cooks and our lovely customers. It has since snowballed into a special spectacle and a night for industry folk to come and let their hair down in a kind of X-Factor meets MasterChef way."
The competition also raises funds for the charity Hospitality Action.
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