National Sausage Roll Day 2023

National Sausage Roll Day is a celebration of a glorious snack and a cultural institution. Like Brexit, lockdown parties and bathtubs full of baked beans, sausage rolls are a common feature of life in Britain. You’ll find them at birthdays, funerals, work events and stag dos and they’re everywhere because they’re cheap, delicious and easy to source. The ubiquitousness of sausage rolls is matched only by their deliciousness and these baked treats bring smiles, as well as crumbs, to the faces of millions.

Castles of Kemptown sausage roll review

Castles of Kemptown is a tiny café, just along the road from the Royal Sussex Hospital. I visited there on a blustery September morning, when the sea was wild and the seasons seemed to suddenly change. The clientele were mostly builders and the two staff working were exceptionally friendly. There was a wide array of freshly baked goods on offer, including cakes and pies but the selection of sausage rolls caught my attention. Those tasty little rascals had a rustic, homemade look to them that hinted at their deliciousness. I went to Castles of Kemptown with no expectations or prior knowledge of that part of Brighton but left feeling ecstatic at discovering a snack to top the sausage roll leaderboard.

Molly’s At The Beach Sausage Roll Review

Molly’s at the Beach is a busy little cafe on the undercliff walk below Rottingdean. I’d been there once before after walking from Brighton Marina but visited again today after a long hike across the South Downs. Setting off early this morning from Southease, I crossed fields, traipsed up hills and walked past farms thinking all the while of sausage rolls. What greeted me at the finishing point of my walk was Molly’s, busy with a healthy crowd of people. Perhaps it’s that time of year but with nature blooming and the sun shining, the people there seemed happy and friendly. I queued excitedly for pastry and hoped that I didn’t smell after the walk.

The Southern Belle, Hove Sausage Roll Review

The Southern Belle is a restaurant, bar and hotel, situated in a beautiful building, close to the sea in Hove. Although I’d walked past it countless times, I recently visited for the first time, on a rare night off from parenthood.

The Skylark Café, Wandsworth sausage roll review

In all the years I lived in London, I never visited Wandsworth but I was there last month on a confusingly warm Saturday. My wife’s sister was moving to Scotland the following week and so we drove up from Hove to hang out. Setting off from the flat in Balham, we made the walk across to Wandsworth Common and the Skylark Café. This chaotic little spot has outdoor seating and rather bored looking staff. Most of the patrons had dogs, kids or a combination of the two and so we fit in as we sat outside drinking coffee and eating pastry. Later, I was glad for having had a sausage roll, as we walked for miles and hanger caught up with me.

Cheesy Spiced Lamb Kebab Roll Review

The Indians Next Door have a small street food stand outside of Euston station and I found myself there on Friday morning, before boarding a train to Birmingham. My time in the Midlands was made memorable by lunch at Anderson & Hill and dinner at Bonehead, but on the morning of travel, it took me several trains and trip on the tube to get to Euston. I’m rarely in London these days and miss it whilst away but stopping in the capital even briefly makes me feel more stressed than usual. Life is calmer and quieter on the coast but when I step off the train in London, I rush and weave through the crowds.

Vegan Spiced Lentil Sausage Roll Review

Today is National Sausage Roll Day but you knew that already. This morning, after setting off early and driving down from Derbyshire, I found myself walking along the backstreets of Hove, pushing the pram and looking for baked goods I’d yet to try. The Real Patisserie on Western Road is a favourite haunt of mine but by the time I arrived, the weekend crowds had cleared the place of pork-based treats. Not wanting to leave the ocassion uncelebrated, I opted for the last Vegan Spiced Lentil Sausage Roll, thinking it was about time that I broadened my pastry horizons and gave the plant-based variety a try.

Magic Bean Emporium Vegan Sausage Roll Review

Vegan sausage rolls are a variety of snack that I’ve long neglected. When faced with a pastry counter piled high with baked goods, I find it tough to turn down pork. Thankfully though, I have a man on the ground in the Midlands, willing to partake in the eating, reviewing and rating of plant-based pastry. This dispatch comes from Tristan.

BROR Specialkaffehus Pork & Fennel Sausage Roll Review

Myself and fennel have history. Previously, on a trip to Brod + Wolf, too much of the stuff and not enough pork, left me with the bitter taste of disappointment. In life, as with sausage rolls, you have to be prepared to confront negative experiences, leaving room for reappraisal.

Marks & Spencer Mini Cocktail Sausage Roll Review

Train journeys, much like road trips are better with snacks. So it was today, as I travelled from London to Brighton. My train pulled into St Pancras and there was six minutes before my next. I could have run and caught the connection but opted instead to take a leisurely stroll to the platform via Marks and Spencer. Perhaps it’s the unfamiliarity but I’ve always found shopping in M&S to be thrilling. Inside, the shelves are stacked with everyday items that seem somehow exotic. These days, with prices rising and the cost-of-living biting hard, money matters but with work paying for lunch, it felt wrong to forgo an opportunity to try the Marks and Spencer Mini Cocktail Sausage Rolls.

Pork, Maple & Bacon Sausage roll Review

iving second chances can be rewarding and so it was this morning, as I walked around Hove in the spring sunshine. I pushed my young son in his pram and delighted in the quiet that the streets were missing all of yesterday. As I walked, I felt lucky to have escaped the hangovers that marked the long weekends of yesteryear. In the past, I’d have been returning home whilst others got their coffee. Now, I had an excuse to go to bed early and be more responsible.

The Sussex Peasant Sausage Roll Review

The Sussex Peasant is farm shop that pitches up in parks around Brighton and beyond. They sell a wide array of delicious produce, the kind that makes you feel good for shopping locally. I had no intention of eating a sausage roll today but felt the urge, as I pushed my young son around the park in his pram. My desire to walk was spurred on in part by a hangover and also by the results of a BMI calculation that told me I’m overweight.

Gwydyr Hairdressing Saloon Sausage roll Review

Getting a haircut should be relaxing and I needed that after a stressful few days. Gwydyr Hairdressing Saloon is a calm little place close to my flat and this week saw them open their long-planned munch bar. I love efficiency almost as much as pastry and so being able to get a sausage roll and a haircut in the same place was the ideal antidote to my worries. Now I just have to hope my hair keeps growing as the same rate.

Wikinger hot Dogs Review

I don’t often eat sausages from a jar but for Superbowl Sunday, I was willing to make an exception. The Superbowl is something that I look forward to each year. It’s an excuse to stay up late and gorge myself on snacks, whilst revelling in the spectacle of gross excess. I love how ludicrous it is and how protracted the evening can become. Watching it can feel like an endurance exercise and one that requires plenty of fuel.This year, alongside the light beers, pretzels, popcorn, M&Ms and selection of maize-based snacks, I bought some Wikinger Hot Dogs. Sausages in a jar were a far cry from the meat that I buy at the fancy butcher in Hove and through eating them, I confirmed something that I knew all along, that sausages in a roll are not the same as a sausage roll.

Coffeetzar Kemptown sausage roll review

Are the people behind Coffeetzar mad men or are they innovators? I’m still not quite sure but my visit there was memorable. After a stressful morning, I’d gone for a coffee and a slice of cake but couldn’t help but try the sausage rolls, if only to find out if the flavour matched the appearance. The sausage rolls on offer stood out because the meat filling was dark and poked out beyond the end of the pastry. There was something unsettling, even ominous about them but they may have just been my mood.

Flint Owl Bakery Sausage Roll Review

Sometimes, decisions get taken out of your hands and you’re forced to act. Today was such a day. I was walking around Brighton when the rain began to fall. Thankfully, the Flint Owl Bakery was beside me and so I went inside for coffee. I hadn’t planned to eat a sausage roll today but the baked goods looked appealing, waiting expectantly in their display case. It’s important in life to try and make the best of any situation. When rain starts falling, pastry comes calling.

Truffles Bakery, Uckfield Sausage Roll Review

Truffles Bakery, Uckfield was a welcome sight on a rainy Saturday. After a morning spent shopping, I felt hungry and tired and in need of somewhere to sit and recover. Being unfamiliar with Uckfield, I’d walked a while in the rain, looking for a sandwich shop but was relieved to spot a branch of Truffles Bakery.

Homemade sausage roll review

It’s been a long year and at times recently, I felt as if I were limping towards Christmas, desperate for a break and for time to do nothing. Christmas is the season of giving and as such, I thought that I’d treat myself to an experiment in pork and pastry. It’s oft been said that effort can get you a long way in life but this experiment taught me, not for the first time, that some skill is required also.

Pork and Mustard Sausage Roll Review

The best things in life are unexpected. So it was with the pork and mustard sausage roll that I bought today from Canham and Sons. Now, I’m no stranger to this purveyor of pastry. Canham and Sons is a regular stop on my weekday walks but I tend to avoid it on Saturdays, for fear of the queues.

Pork and Jalapeño Sausage Roll Review

I’d visited to the Brighton Sausage Co. many times before but thoughts of their pastry propelled me forward as I braved the bracing Brighton weather. Town was busy with hordes of slow moving strangers, out in search of Christmas bargains and as I moved with the crowds, I passed numerous people, tucking into tubes of steaming pastry. Heroes, I thought.

Christmas Sausage Roll from Castles of Kemptown

This morning, after an appointment at the hospital, I couldn’t resist returning to Castles of Kemptown, the site of our top rated sausage roll. I was delighted to discover that alongside their usual treats, Castles had rolled out a selection of Christmas sausage rolls. After a brief deliberation, I opted for one filled with pigs in blankets, stuffing and an apple and pear chutney. With flavours this big and consistently excellent service, I fear that won’t be my last Christmas sausage roll.

The Flour Pot Bakery sausage roll review

There are several branches of the Flour Pot Bakery scattered around Hove but the one that I visited sits on a corner of Portland Road. It’s a good spot for a coffee, cake or a loaf but somewhere that I’ve not visited since moving closer to Brighton. Recently, I’ve been reminded of my previous visits when passing by on driving lessons. I’m yet to discover if distraction by pastry is a minor or major fault.

Gail’s sausage roll review

Gail’s Bakery sell a fantastic array or breads and baked goods. They’re situated on the corner of Church Road, at the bottom of George Street and close to my old flat. There’s better and cheaper bakeries around Hove but I’ll stop by if there’s no queue out front. Going to Gail’s reminds me of living in London. When working in Soho cocktail bars, I would stop at their branch on Wardour Street for coffee before shift.

Down to Earth Coffee sausage roll review

Down to Earth Coffee is situated beside Palmeira Square in Hove. The front of the shop has large glass windows displaying handsome looking baked goods. Due to Covid, I’ve only ever been served through the doorway but it looks comfortable inside and much like a Melbourne coffee shop. Down to Earth Coffee have a second branch in Brighton but I’ve yet to visit.

The Flying Coffee Bean sausage roll review

The Flying Coffee Bean is a kiosk in the main concourse of Brighton Station. There are usually a few people queuing there for coffee, before heading through the ticket barriers to a waiting train. Service is efficient and the coffee is good, the smell of which fills the air. I stopped there before taking the train to London and then Liverpool for a stag do. With stomach lining in mind and a long journey ahead, I bought a sausage roll and wished I hadn’t.

Brod + Wolf sausage roll review

Brod + Wolf is a fancy coffee shop on Church Road in Hove. Inside, the shop looks like a furniture magazine with walls painted the same colour as my living room, oversized light fixtures, plants and comfortable chairs to calm the patrons. The coffee is excellent but the sausage rolls left much to be desired.

Colemans Deli sausage roll review

Colemans Deli is a bakery and sandwich shop in the Derbyshire town of Hathersage. It’s a great place to stop off after a long walk along the Moors or after wandering around the bright lights of town. Two varieties of sausage roll were on offer and I went for the pork, caramelised onion and blue cheese variety.

Critchlows Farm Shop sausage roll review

Critchlows Farm Shop is a butcher and baker in the Derbyshire town of Bakewell. They supply sausage rolls to the Grindleford Community Shop, where this particular sausage roll was purchased. The quality of produce and competitive prices at Critchlows made me marvel at the north of England. If in Hove, this sausage roll would easily have been double the price.

Croque Shop sausage roll review

Croque Shop is a sausage roll hotspot, situated on a busy street in the centre of Brighton. There are plenty of other places for pastry close by but Croque Shop stands out for their competitive pricing and wonderful window displays. It’s a great place to grab a roll on the move, before continuing through the winding streets towards the coast.

Arundel Castle sausage roll review

Arundel Castle is enormous and staggeringly impressive. I visited on a drizzly day in August and was awed by the scale and beauty of the place. The grounds are immaculately kept and the castle is home to a vast array of exhibits, from implements of war to paintings by Van Dyke, Gainsborough and Reynolds. Power and privilege emanate from the cavernous spaces inside the castle and speak to a level of wealth and status that few will ever know. After the drive down from Hove and some milling around the grounds, I stopped off at the coffee shop for a sausage roll. No day out is complete without baked goods.

Granier Bakery Cafe sausage roll review

Granier Bakery Cafe is situated near the centre of Brighton, on a busy part of Western Road. Immediately outside of the shop is a bus stop and to capture the passing trade, the bakery display their baked goods in the window. As well as sausage rolls, the shop sells cakes, drinks and a wide array of snacks. It’s the kind of place that is easy to walk past.

Ricci’s Deli sausage roll review

Ricci’s Deli on Dyke Road is a beautiful shop. Despite the plethora of fancy bakeries in the immediate vicinity, Ricci’s stand out for their signage and window displays. Inside, they sell a huge array of produce, from drinks and breads, to meats and cheeses. On the day that I visited, I was at the tail end of a long walk and arrived sweaty and tired. I’d passed the deli in the morning at the start of the walk and my expectations had built throughout the day.

Greggs sausage roll review

Everyone’s been to Greggs. They’re a safe and predictable feature of most high streets and deliver big flavour for small cash. I’m fond of them because they’re familiar. Greggs have saved me from awful hangovers and from fast approaching fits of hanger. The sausage rolls are perfectly passable and I’m equally fond of both their steak bakes and their yum yums. My nearest Greggs is on Western Road, a busy part of town, just past where Hove turns into Brighton. That stretch of street is home to all the shops that you’d expect to see in a town centre and the air is thick with the fumes from buses and from the delivery drivers that park their scooters out front of McDonald’s.

Truffles Bakery sausage roll review

Truffles Bakery reminds me of London. When I lived in Clapton, my flat was close to a Percy Ingle bakery and I’d visit on the weekends to buy bread, donuts and sausage rolls. The food market on Chatsworth Road would be running and the street would buzz with people taking pictures of their lunch. Although tempted by the food stalls, I’d often aim for the bakery, drawn by the comfort and predictability of buttery pastry. Like Percy Ingle, Truffles Bakery isn’t trying to do anything fancy, they serve the classics and do them well. It’s a place to go for a decent cake, pastie or a loaf of bread.

Birling Gap Café sausage roll review

The National Trust café at Birling Gap overlooks a stretch of sea, far wilder and wavier than Hove. Close to the café are houses perched on crumbling cliffs and they enjoy postcard views. In the summer months I often drive from Hove, park up and then walk along the clifftops towards Eastbourne. Most recently, I walked to the café from Cuckmere Haven on a windy and overcast day in July. When up on the cliffs, there’s a sense of space and calm with views for miles out to sea. I like to watch the ships that slowly pass on the horizon or listen to the Spitfires flying overhead. People run or walk along the cliffs in small groups and say hello, but the sheep that graze on the grass don’t talk much.

Revelator sausage roll review

Revelator is a quaint and cosy pub in a lively part of Hove. They have decent beers, abundant spirits, comfortable seating, rustic decoration and a quality soundtrack of laid back tunes. I went for post-work Friday night beer and was delighted to discover that sausage rolls were being served alongside a wide variety of salty snacks. Every pub should stock Twiglets.

Real Pâtisserie Sausage Roll Review

Real Pâtisserie on Western Road in Hove is a short walk from my flat but wouldn’t look out of place in Highgate or Islington. Back when I used to rent a room in Tottenham, I would travel to the fancier parts of north London on the weekends and pretend that I’d one day be able to afford to live there. These days, Real Pâtisserie is a regular stop on my weekend rounds, when I’m in need of bread, a tart or a sausage roll. Not only is their produce fresh but their service is excellent and visiting makes me happy, even when I have to queue to get inside.

The Garden Café sausage roll review

The Garden Café is a certified sausage roll seller, situated in St Ann’s Well Garden in Hove. This small but pristine park is surrounded by a 1930s red brick estate, distinct from the grander architecture of Brunswick Square and the seafront. St Ann’s isn’t huge but benefits from well maintained toilets, immaculate tennis courts, trees full of birds and locals walking their dogs. From the park it’s a ten minute walk to the sea but this walk can feel longer after scoffing a sausage roll.

Kooks Sausage Roll Review

Kooks is a popular café and restaurant on busy corner of Brighton’s North Laine. On the day that I visited, the surrounding streets were buzzing with a mix of locals and tourists. Covid restrictions were easing but dining inside still wasn’t an option and instead, the café had placed tables in the street, where couples basked in the sun and talked about the vaccine.

The Cornish Bakery Sausage Roll Review

The Cornish Bakery is nestled in the small seaside town of West Bay in Devon. It was a welcomed sight at the halfway point of a long walk from Beer and back. The walk had taken us along cliffs in oppressive heat and a sausage roll was sorely needed to recover salts and spirits.

The Brighton Sausage Co. Review

The Brighton Sausage Co. is a welcome sight for weary eyes after time spent wandering through Brighton’s busy North Laine. Nestled amongst clothing boutiques and homeware shops, the shop resembles a pantry and serves a wide array or meats, cheeses and condiments.

Sugardough Hove sausage roll review

Sugardough is a bakery and café situated close to Hove seafront. A few doors down is an excellent Italian deli and in the opposite direction an old man pub and a chip shop. The window displays at Sugardough often catch the attention of passers by. The baked goods are neatly stacked on trays and the prices are written on small chalkboards. It’s best to go early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid the queues as customers waiting for coffee can slow down the service. As well as sausage rolls, Sugardough serve excellent croissants and cakes. I bought my wedding cake came from here.

Canham & Sons Sausage Roll Review

Canham & Sons is a butcher and deli, situated on Church Road in Hove. I often walk past there on the way to the sea and usually find a queue forming out front. Hungry builders and moustache-wearing hipsters stand queuing outside the shop in all weather and I’m heartened by the loyalty that the locals show. Of all that Canham and Sons sell, I’m particularly fond of the pork and pepper sausages and their excellent scotch eggs. The sausage rolls are fantastic too and they come in two varieties; the classic and the pork and mustard. Canham & Sons has the feel of a place that’s been there for years and I hope they continue to deliver the pastry that I’ve come to love.