Snackmas Day 18- Tesco Finest: Christmas Market Sausages and Apple, Cranberry and Honey Stuffing Stars

Are you a meat or breadcrumb based Blitzen when it comes to the stuffing with your Turkey Dinner? What about the sausage side option? Traditional sized Pigs in Blankets, the larger bacon wrapped Chipolata or just a plain, "naked" sausey? How does a Christmas Market Inspired number take your fancy with a Bramley Apple, Cranberry and Honey Star to shine through the savoury? There are so many porky options but it is Tesco and their Finest range that we turn to again on Snackmas Day 18! 

Weighing in at 400 and 300g respectively, I found both the Sausages and Stuffing Stars amongst a smorgasbord of Trimmings in the Fresh Meat aisle and priced at £2.50 each - It seems that the majority, if not all the options are gluten free (And proud given it's written on the front of all the packaging!) as well making them perfect for the Pig enthusiast and Hand Selfie King himself, Kevvie! Sadly for me however, I was a bit of a Son of a Nutcracker when it came to the Stars, not realising they contain the dreaded pea fibre.. The bain of my entire being! 

Christmas Market Inspired Pork Sausages

Blimey, these were some big bangers! They might not look it in the action shot but believe you me, they were chunky! Cooked at 180ºC Fan for about 30 minutes, the sausages came out perfectly - Slightly wrinkly and chewy on the outside with a soft, orange hued centre. Taste wise.. Disappointingly, from what I could tell, they possessed not even a nod to Christmas and essentially just tasted like any decent porky, meat sausage. Scanning the ingredients for a second time, incase I had invented the anticipated nutmeg, ginger and sage listed, I was left further baffled - There really was no spice apart from a good seasoning of pepper! Nice but not it's namesake - A 3 out of 5 from me. 

Bramley Apple, Cranberry and Honey Stuffing Stars

Moving onto the Stars which also cooked well at the same temperate as the above and for the same time, holding their shape - I like a bit of burnt around the edges! Very soft, squidgy and juicy, the meat oozed herby meaty flavour with a real injection of sweet from the identifiable, caramelised tart tones of apple and cranberry, mellowed by the classic taste of comforting honey. All the different flavour elements went well together, despite being a big twist and anything but what you would expect from a conventional "savoury" Stuffing. A 4 out of 5! 

Overall, both of these Tesco Finest Trimmings are very much enjoyable and would make a great addition to your December 25th Feast. It is a shame that the Christmas Market Inspired Sausages seem to have misplaced their inspo somewhere along the way but as Sausages go.. They more than suffice. As for the Stuffing Stars, MSW practically forced one upon me despite my pea allergy simply because they were "so good and I couldn't miss out".. She was right. As always. And I lived to retell this thrilling tale now. Get yourselves down to Tescy, ASAP! 

Snackmas Day 4- M&S Festive Lunch ft. NEW Recipe Sandwiches

One of the highlights of the season for me is the array of Festive Food On The Go in every supermarket, petrol station and cafe alike - From sandwiches and wraps to the hot options of toasties and panini's, there really is a vast choice with both meat and vegetarian options to keep the entire Christmas choir happy. 

Naturally, I gravitate towards the traditional turkey, stuffing, cranberry numbers and usually when in bread but this year I've decided to be a bit wild and go for an entire lunch with some different stars of the show.. 

It's trusty old Marks & Spencer, supporter of the charity, Shelter, that we turn to today for a Wrap, Scotch Egg and Drink Trio. Much to my dismay, they didn't listen to my groans of last year that their measly 5% of sale donations was abysmal but alas.. At least I have done my bit in buying a sleigh load of their products to bump up the takings, right?  

Christmas Turkey Wrap

Roast British turkey breast, Brussel sprout slaw, parsnip mayonnaise, pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, spinach, smoked British bacon and fried onions on a barmarked tortilla wheatflour wrap. RRP £3.

As someone who usually finds wraps fairly uninteresting and akin to chewing cardboard, I can't say the prospect of the two halves thrilled me greatly.. They did look attractive though! Taking a bite, the overwhelming amount of spinach was the first thing to hit which I promptly disposed of and carried on. Soft and squidgy, the wrap itself wasn't as offensive as first anticipated, even if a bit to much for the quantity of filling. Two large chunks of soft turkey, one in each half, were present packing a good amount of flavour with smoky bacon in the background. The slaw provided lots of veggie tones (Maybe from the Parsnip mayo too?) albeit not obviously that of sprouts, and lots of creaminess. This was only complimented by the herby taste of stuffing and mild onion which was never going to disappoint! As for the cranberry chutney.. I can't say I noticed any with zero sweetness or tart edge but I liked it nevertheless! - A 4 out of 5 from me. 

Turkey, Pork & Cranberry Runny Scotch Egg

Runny poached egg wrapped in turkey, smoked maple cured bacon and cranberry sausagemeat, in a parsley crumb. RRP £2. 

Designed to be eaten hot or cold, I forced this lofty, 120g Scotch Egg on MSW who didn't take to much convincing to get stuck in.. As long as it was warm that is, so I whacked it in a 180ºC Fan oven for the advised 12 minutes. 

Well, it was certainly runny.. Just look at that yellow yolk puddle! Crispy on the outside with a contrasting soft, squidgy sausage meat layer, the flavour of pork was definitely at the forefront with a sweet undertone of cranberry from the plump, ruby red chunks. The centre of poached egg was plenty soft and not rubbery in the slightest, delivering just the right amount of richness. It's a 3.5 out of 5. 

Pressed Apple, Pear & Winter Berries

Pasteurised apple and pear juices, not from concentrate, with plum, sloe berry, blackberry and elderberry purees. RRP £1.50. 

A drink to wash down all the savouries was a must and what could be better than all the winter fruits? Very sweet and refreshing thanks to the fruity flavours and being ice cold, the juice was pure delight. Apple was the main flavour with a hint of pear and a real tang from the berries - Not that I could put my finger on which exactly having never knowingly had sloe berry previously and all the different fruit flavours being blended so well. Delicious and the sort of thing I wouldn't be opposed to drinking hot - A 4.5 out of 5 from me. 

Is anyone hungry for more? Suck it up people, it's not Christmas without a NEW Recipe Turkey Feast and Pigs in Blanket Sammie! 

Turkey Feast

Roast British turkey breast with pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, smoked British bacon and mayonnaise on malted brown bread. RRP £3.25. 

For something with allegedly a new recipe.. The sandwich didn't look all that different to last years offering - It may have been slightly paler in colour but then again, that could just be my lightening! Perfectly soft and squidgy although with some harder nibs in the bread, the packed filling didn't disappoint in flavour. Together the chunks of tender turkey and herby stuffing were as expected, a match made in heaven with an almost absurd amount of slightly salty bacon to compliment. Both the mayo and the cranberry prevented things from becoming dry with the latter adding that traditional hit of sweetness. One thing that I didn't notice was the long list of spices included in the ingredients.. Which I can't say, I was all to upset over! Scrumptious as always, a 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Turkey & Pigs in Blankets

British pork sausages and smoked British bacon, roast British turkey breast, cranberry chutney, spiced mayonnaise and spinach on sage and onion bread. RRP £3.

Once again, the description didn't suggest anything was particularly new about the sandwich.. But it certainly looked greener with a more than generous helping of spinach.. Which I swiftly flung across the table in disgust! Similarly to above, the bacon aspect took a starring role with a good handful of rashers included, delivering smoky tones. This was heightened further by the soft sausages for a real porky flavour, not all that unlike actual Pigs in Blankets. Sadly, the turkey fell into the background slightly given that there was so many other elements going on and probably wasn't helped by the borderline overwhelming taste of spice which I can only assume came from the mayo - As a despiser of cloves, I was close to calling it quits but the chutney saved the day and put things back on an even kiln. Superb bread also! A 4 out of 5 from me. 

Overall, it isn't a bad selection of snacks from M&S this year - Definitely not as extensive as last but I don't expect any of us really need umpteen different sandwiches when the classics are covered a long with something for the Gluten Free-ers (Gluten Free Turkey Feast) and Veggies (Scorched Squash Wrap). There's even one for those with more money than sense in the form of the Christmas Club, priced at an extortionate £4.50! 

For anyone wondering.. And still reading, today's little lot came to a grand total of £12.75 so that's just shy of 64p going to the folk at Shelter. Seriously, M&S, if you're intent on backing a charity, don't be half-arsed and stingy about it. I can't even.

Snackmas Day 14- Tesco Finest Stuffing Parcels & Portions

Stuffing. Its a beautiful thing and one that we are massive fans of in my house - Be it bog standard Paxo, a posh equivalent or the traditional pork kind that you find in abundance at this time of year. Tesco have really pushed the boat out this December with the latter having taken over the Sausage section.. Not something to ever complain about but does pose the dilemma on which to pick!

After some deliberation, I went for the 6 Finest Leek, Pancetta & Thyme Parcels and the 6 Spiced Fruit & Brandy Pork Stuffing Portions which are on a permanent 2 for £5 offer and are also Gluten Free - Double winner! 

Leek, Pancetta & Thyme Parcels

Pork, leek and smoked pancetta sausagemeat stuffing wrapped in smoked, dry cured smokey bacon rashers. 

Can we all just stop to praise how well my oven is doing in not burning everything to a crisp during Snackmas? I cooked these Parcels at 180ºC fan for the instructed 35-40 minutes and they turned out wonderfully! The amount of fat these things give out on the other hand is slightly concerning but it is Christmas so worry about the ability of Walking in the Air at a later date. 

The Parcel held its shape perfectly both as was and when sliced to reveal the packed meaty goodness within - No bursting at the seams occurred in any of the 6. The smell was very sausagey as well as of sizzled bacon in a pan with a load of grease lingering about also. Texture wise, it was dense but soft on the inside, full of herby flavour with leek tones but maybe a little to much sage overall. The smoked bacon was extremely salty which was nice and the 2 pork elements went well together but again a bit much given the fairly dinky size of the parcel.. It was nice and crispy though which was a great contrast to the squidgy interior! Its a 3 out of 5 from me.

Spiced Fruit & Brandy Portions

Pork blended with dried fruit, cognac and seasonings formed into sausagement stuffing portions and garnished with cranberry and bay leaf. 

I may have spoken to soon when it came to applauding my oven.. Even though these were cooked as stated on the packet, covered for 25 minutes and then for a further 5 with the foil removed, they still look a little scorched around the edges!

These portions weren't as easy to cut and get a decent picture of sadly - They were extremely soft and didn't really set up much despite being left to cool slightly and with the added nuisance of chunky dried fruit pulling everything apart. Tasting them was a bit of an odd experience too.. It was like the stuffing hadn't been mixed properly prior to portioning up as different sections had totally different flavours! Some were pleasantly pork sausage, other bits were super sweet and orangey and then there were the disgusting mouthfuls which were full on clove and brandy - Yuck! A 1 out of 5. 

Overall, I am not to impressed with these 2 Stuffing offerings from Tesco. The Leek, Pancetta & Thyme Parcels aren't awful but they do require either a stiff drink or something sweet to accompany to counteract the saline. As for the Spice Fruit & Brandy Portions.. Well, my oven can continue to burn those as they can't be made any worse! Back to Paxo, I go. 

Snackmas Day 2- M&S Festive Sandwiches

Christmas Is All Around.. As are Festive Sandwiches! Literally, every foodie place will have 1 if not numerous meat offerings as well as Veggie alternatives. I am more than ok with this as a self confessed super fan of such things.. Hark, my favourite place to eat out at is Dobbies, the Garden Centre, purely because you can make your own panini's and they have Turkey, Cranberry and Brie - I like a festive fix all year round! 

It will come as no surprise to hear that when November is upon us and the Festive Sammies are in full swing, not just in Garden Centres, I consume a hell of a lot of the things. Today, we've got a trio of M&S, in aid of the charity, Shelter.

Turkey Feast

Butter basted roast British turkey breast with pork, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry chutney, smoked British bacon and mayonnaise on malted brown bread. 

I was concerned at first at the prospect of a NEW recipe as last years was perfect as is but luckily nothing had been compromised.. Just check out that generous, glistening of purply, red cranberry chutney! The remarkably robust capsule of brown bread was perfectly soft with a very much wholesome taste yet only slight malt edge. Inside was a thick filling of tender turkey complimented by the herby stuffing with slightly salted bacon in abundance which was balanced out by the sweet cranberry. The mayo element certainly didn't go a miss even though I couldn't really identify it but it did add another "wet" element to keep things moist. Sweet Little *Jazzy* Jesus Boy, its Christmas in a sandwich - 4.5 out of 5! 

Turkey & Pigs in Blankets 

British pork sausages and smoked British bacon, butter basted roast British turkey breast, cranberry chutney, spiced mayonnaise and spinach on sage and onion bread. 

Next up is the Turkey & Pigs In Blankets because after all.. Whats Christmas without a pig in blanket or 12? Thankfully, a good amount of herby sausage was included which was the main flavour with undertones of the turkey and bacon in the background. The cranberry chutney had the same sweet tang as above even although there wasn't anywhere near as much making it a much dryer sandwich - Not something I'd usually opt for! A taste of cloves was very apparent but not to much to spoil it.. I think. I really don't like cloves (There was a Ham incident last year - Everyone involved was traumatised) but this was barable. Rounding things off nicely was the sage and onion bread which tasted uncanny to stuffing - I would buy it in loaves if they sold it! Its a 4 out of 5 from me. 

Brie & Grape 

Brie cheese and red grapes with a grape and port jelly, mayonnaise and lettuce on oatmeal bread. 

Last but by no means least is the Brie & Grape which was also loaded with a sauce.. Slightly boozy tasting and tangy port jelly! Distributed throughout this was lots and lots of grapes which added a subtle fruitiness and overall made things taste very light and fresh even with the creamy yet strong flavour from the cheese above. I was surprised how generously it was filled - At least 4 slices of cheese were in each half of the sandwich! The lettuce and mayo was the final layer before meeting the oaty bread.. No spices this time thankfully! Its essentially a soft and squidgy version of your Cheese, Grapes and Crackers - 3.5 out of 5 from me! 

Overall and as expected, I loved all 3 of these Festive Sandwiches! They are definitely for those who don't mind the 'chuck everything in and hope for the best' way of life as there is a lot going on in each of them and for that, I can't fault them. I can however fault M&S themselves.. Only 5% of the sale of these sandwiches* go to Shelter. Given they are priced at £3.30, £3 and £2.80 respectively, that's a total of £9.10 in which only 45p goes to charity. That is absolutely abysmal. Talk about being a Scrooge! Talk about a Blue Christmas! Sort it out M&S.

*For anyone who is interested there is a Veggie option, Gluten free Turkey Feast as well as a 'healthy' jobbie and Beef - Otherwise known as, EVERYTHING!

Review- Cauldron Lincolnshire Vegetarian Sausages

We like Veggie Sausages here on R4R but so far both previous reviews of such a thing, Tesco's Everyday Value  and the Glamorgan, have been verging towards Croquette territory rather than actual Sausie. Today, there is none of that with this offering from Cauldron, makers of the Lincolnshire Vegetarian Sausage! Tesco was my port of call when buying the pack of 6 for £2.50 which live next to the fresh Quorn products. 

Made from an authentic recipe of vegetable protein with sage and pepper seasoning 

Veggie Sausages are one thing that never looks attractive when photographed - I apologise. Luckily they taste a hell of a lot better than they look! As soon as I took a bite, I thought "Rooks!". Whats Rooks?, I hear you ask. Its only the best Butchers in Kent and providers of all the usual and expected raw meats as well as hot, cooked sweet and savoury goods - Their herby Sausage is out of this world! These Caldron Veggies were almost identical.. You wouldn't know they weren't real meat although they do have that slight "quorn" aftertaste which you'll know if you're a regular eater of such things. The flavour is spot on and full of herby taste with a good seasoning of salt and pepper - I did almost find the latter to be to much but I am a wimp when it comes to any sort of "heat". Texture wise, things were tip top as well - They had a very meaty feel minus the fat and grease of course, with a "skin" that was crisp and chewy. 

I think I might have just gone and found myself a new favourite Veggie Sausage - These Cauldron Lincolnshire jobbies are definitely on par with the Linda McCartney's Red Onion & Rosemary Sausies and we all know how amazing they are! I can't quite believe I've gone this long without them.. I can easily see them becoming a staple weeknight meal. Its a big old, 4.5 out of 5 from me! 

Review- Tesco NEW Everyday Value Vegetable Sausages

I have had these Tesco NEW Everyday Value Vegetable Sausages in my freezer for quite a while now and finally decided on having them for tea one night, last week - I need to start getting through the frozen stuff so I have free space to fill with copious tubs of ice cream.. Naturally. 

The cheap as chips bag of 6, lightly seasoned onion, carrot and broccoli Veggie Sausages cost £1 - Absolute Bargain!

As instructed, I cooked my Sausies for about 20 minutes in a 200ºc oven and they turned out perfectly! 

From the delicious, peppery leek scent upon removing these beauties from the oven, I knew they were going to be delicious! As promised, an array of veggies were packed in there as well as potato and rice which produced one, super soft sausage with an outer that was beautifully golden and crisp. The onion and leek were definitely the most prominent in terms of flavour but it went well with the different veggies and wasn't by any means, to much. I was also pleased that they weren't seasoned to the point of being salty - Everything was perfectly balanced! 

Overall, I am very impressed with these NEW Vegetables Sausages and even more so since they are from Tesco's Everyday Value Range - I feel a bit of a twit for not eating them sooner! I know that soft sausages aren't everyone's thing and are often accused of being more of a Croquette than their meat counterpart.. But if you take them for what(ever) they are and don't analyse it to much, they make a very tasty tea which I suggest you get your hands on. Its a 4 out of 5, today! 

Review- Tesco Frozen Meat Free Glamorgan Sausages

I am a pathetic excuse for a meat eater.. Unless it is a burger or chicken, chances are I will gravitate towards a Vegetarian option. I was perusing Tesco's Frozen Meat Free Range and the Glamorgan Sausages caught my eye. They are currently on a 2 for £3 offer - Bargain!

The 6 sausages are made with leeks, cauliflower and Welsh mature cheddar cheese. I cooked them at 180 degrees fan for about 25 minutes - Quite a bit longer than the suggested 16-18!

They were more of a breadcrumb-less Croquette than a sausage really! They were super soft and didn't hold their shape whatsoever - Thankfully this didn't effect the taste. Although I couldn't detect much of a cauliflower flavour, the leeks were pleasantly strong. This paired perfectly with all the cheesiness coming from the Welsh mature cheddar as well as the full fat soft cheese, producing a delicious creamy taste! 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed these Glamorgan Sausages. If you can get passed the sloppy appearance and the fact they aren't sausages albeit Veggies ones, then these are a winner! I am keen to try more from Tesco's extensive Frozen Meat Free Range which includes everything from Ready Meals to Bacon Rashers! It's a 4 out of 5 from me!

Update 

Turn the oven off and put the grill on! 

I have just cooked my remaining 3 Veggie Sausages this way and they have turned out perfectly - Not a sloppy mess. The texture was 100 times better! I could actually taste the cauliflower which now had a nice bite to it rather than being just mush.

The interior was still smooth whilst having a crispy golden outside.. 15-18 minutes under the grill should do it! Now that they hold their shape, I'm bumping them up to a 4.5 out for 5!