Douglas Willis Special Edition

Hello, good morning, and welcome to Rate My Sausage's second panel review.


This time we've been looking at some of the wide selection of sausages available from Douglas Willis, "Purveyors of Fine Meats Since 1940", who are based in South Wales. Please feel free to check out their inviting website here: http://www.douglaswillis.co.uk/


Six varieties of sausage made their way across the border and to the east coast, and RMS' dedicated review team gave the task their full attention:


First up, Carolyn S reviews the Pork With Honey & Mustard Sausage



Well not many clues with this one – no pictures or background blurb. Just two sausages in a plain black box. Were they happy pigs? I shall never know. Are the makers a long-established family firm? Yes (ok so I looked up their website).

These sausages looked very plump and comfortable in their skins. They grilled quickly with great sizzling sound effects – the skins held them in shape but also cut through easily. They had a good firm texture, meaty but smooth and the flavour was a surprise – just a hint of sweetness to complement the mellow mustard tones – whoever would have known that such a well-built little sausage would have such a delicate taste.

I served them with a simple salad and new potatoes. I think these would be great to barbecue – in a soft warm bread roll with a cool glass of cider - roll on summer!

Diolch Douglas Willis (I think that’s thank you in Welsh).

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Jennie L reviews the Pork & Leek Sausage
　

First view of the sausages looked good, you could clearly see the leek extracts inside the sausage. I decided I didn’t want to overpower the flavour of the sausage because I wanted to taste the flavour and not the dish it’s in, so I cooked the basic old Toad in the hole.

Smell :
They smelt good, I could smell the leeks and the pork but I couldn’t smell anything else, I thought maybe I couldn’t have my senses slightly blocked and could have been wrong, so I waited for the taste test.

Taste:
The pork and leek sausage skin was tougher than I would have liked, I found the skin tough to cut, and not at all an easy slicer. When I tasted the sausage I could taste the leek and the pork, but nothing more. They were quite bland and very lumpy and chewy to taste. I have to say I was quite disappointed, and I would only mark them 5 out of 10 for me.

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Joanna S reviews the Pork & Cracked Black Pepper Sausage
　

Sunday: tired, headache (cocktail induced hangover, spare no pity) and sausages were just what was needed for lunch – so thank you Rate My Sausage and also panellist Mum for getting me in on the act!

Two very long Douglas Willis (wasn’t he a Neighbours soap character?) sausages awaited review so I fried them with a little olive oil so the flavours didn’t get muddled & served with Mediterranean potatoes; sliced potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic & thyme baked for an hour. In ten minutes they were ready for the photo.

They coloured nicely and plumped up well without splitting, giving a satisfying sizzle towards the end. The skins were strong and the filling had a coarse meaty texture beating the well known supermarket upper brands I usually buy. The pepper seasoning came through without being obtrusive. Two sausages were plenty, I couldn’t have managed more but would definitely buy them in future – they’d be excellent sausage sandwich candidates, being so firm.

I live with a sausage-hater (I don’t understand why someone would be this either) so who better to give an unbiased view after being cajoled to have a small slice. He said “Nice! It doesn’t taste very sausagey… but, yes, surprisingly good” So there you have it, praise indeed!

Thanks again!

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Luke B reviews the Pork & Herb Sausage
　
The Theory:
The first thing you notice about the Douglas Willis sausages is that (Dare I say it in our world of equality?) they are a MANLY sausage. Well formed and neatly tied they are packed full of herby stuffing to the point of bursting and smell great before you have even started cooking them!

So here goes, the sun is shining, the smell of freshly mown grass is in the air, the faint chatter of people sunning themselves in gardens nearby. What better excuse than to strike up the BBQ!
Nothing scares a woman more than a testosterone filled man stood in front of naked flames with bbq utensil in hand! They don’t understand our primordial inner being that longs to cook with fire and prove to all other men why we walk tall. Why we spend three hours getting the bloody thing lit only to then throw in meat to their incinerated end!

　
The Recipe:
It’s simple, just cook sausages over white hot charcoal turning frequently until browned and cooked through. Serve in a white roll garnished with fried red onions with salad and shallow fried sliced new potatoes. Easy as!

The Verdict:
These are cracking sausages! They barbequed great to a golden brown, while retaining their shape with minimal shrinkage. The flavour was well developed and the texture gave an almost melt in the mouth sensation. There was minimal fat from the sausages saving any embarrassing flares from the coals which could catch a chap stood cooking in his shorts off guard. The aftertaste just leaves you craving for another one, throw another snag on the Bar-b mate!

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Rachel H reviews the Perfect Pork Sausage

　
My 'sausage' subject flavour were the Perfectly Pork from Douglas Willis.

I began my review by slowly frying the sausages in a pan, they were great to cook, and didn't split open or shrink like other brands can often do.

Once they were cooked, I sliced them in half down the middle, the texture was quite tough and not too soft so they didn't crumble or fall to pieces.

The sausages were a rich pinkly colour with many speckled dark seasoning spots, always a good sign of a well flavoured decent sausage!

I ate them in sandwiches for brekkie, they had a lovely rich peppery flavour, the seasoning was not too strong or overpowering so that you could not taste the pork and most importantly they contained no gristle.

The only downside for myself was that they were slightly chewy but other than that were very lovely bangers indeed.

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Simon R reviews the Pork, Apple & Stilton Sausage

I cooked these as my regular Sunday morning fry-up....and so should you! Two very big, muscly bangers, with a rasher of smoked back bacon, fried egg over-easy. And, as you can see in the picture, I added a mountain of peas to keep things healthy.

Pork 76%, Apple 12%, Stilton 7%. And unlike most of the supermarket "special" flavours, the added extra ingredients didn't totally overpower the pork. I liked these sausages a lot. A solid and large product that cuts up nicely with a casing that crisps deliciously in places and gives resistance to the knife.

　
My first reaction on tasting was "where's the apple?" Followed by "did they forget the cheese?". Give it a few moments though and both of these ingredients drape themselves languidly over your tastebuds , like the slender lover in a Françoise Sagan novelette. The apple adds a tang and then the stilton wraps it up and slides beautifully on by....

Understated but delectably flavoursome. Subtle. More-ish. But when you cook yours, don’t do too many peas.

E H Prior's Victorian Bread-Based Sausage

At the recent, critically-acclaimed King Of The Bangers competition in King‘s Lynn, one of our local butcher heroes took the time to come and join in. He wasn't allowed to vote of course, but did sample all the bangers on display, including - valiantly - the bargain selection (he also oversaw fair play, and as a nationally recognised judge of British sausage contests, there is nobody with better credentials). Clifford described the judging process at major sausage competitions, and it sounds arduous! Teams of three judges have to sample “flights” of bangers, each comprising of ten samples. The top couple of snorkers progress to the next round, in which the judges rate different sausages......and so on. It takes all day, and sounds absolute hell. Not. Can you get me an application form please Clifford?


It's obvious that this man knows a thing or two about sausages, so, Clifford Prior, I was more than happy to test your Victorian bread-based bangers. Actually, I was intrigued. Bread instead of rusk, and/or other filler?


Incidentally, back to the King Of The Bangers, and our conversation with Clifford. He’s a fascinating man with a never-ending supply of butcher-related tales and titbits. Most of them even I wouldn’t dare publish, although they’re obviously true. Clifford wouldn’t go inside one seventies butcher’s shop, as he is not a fan of rats, and you could never be sure when one would dash over your foot once inside! I was delighted to spend some time in the company of such a top bloke....and his sausages aren't bad either.



Meat Content:
Another pre-being-tipped-off banger, sorry. But when you start eating these sausages you can taste light, sweet pork, in decent amounts. I won’t speculate on the figure, but these have definitely had more than a sniff of a pig.


Flavour:
Different. I did enjoy these bangers, but they don't taste as other Proper Butchers' ones do. I suppose the Bread Base is something of a novelty and a nod to history, and you shouldn't rush to buy these for a "classic" flavour. They do taste quite sage-y, with subtle seasoning which has obviously been worked on to achieve a more-ish quality to tempt you back. Give them a go for something a little unusual!


Texture:
Solid. These are a solid sausage, reflected by the shrink-factor. But I have to say that using bread here may make the overall consistency slightly more uniform? I’m not an expert, but the (not unpleasant) solidity continued through the sausages, and as you can see in the pictures, seems to mask the chunkiness of ingredients, which only becomes apparent when it’s in the mouth.




Shrinkage:
Average weight uncooked - 60g
Average weight cooked - 55g

Shrinkage - 8%

Un-be-bloody-lievable! I thought Papworth's Farmhouse from a few weeks ago were probably going to be the lowest shrinkers I'd test, but no! Pipping them by one percent, the sausages weigh nearly the same when you eat them as when you buy them. Which makes them good value for money. Read on....


Value For Money:£1.58 for 4 sausages weighing 239g = £6.58 per kg = 39p per snorker. 39p each! Why would anybody skimp to save 10p a sausage for the bloody awful Wall’s or Richmond’s? These are good bangers, and the fact that the cooked product is still 92% of the original is absolutely great VFM.

A Question Of Scale....

I've had a moment.


It's (so I've been told a few times) great seeing delicious looking pictures of cooked bangers ready to scoff, but you don't really get an idea of the proper size of the sausage.



Do you think I should include some regular, standard item in the "cooked" photo, so that readers can form a more informed opinion, and judge the size of the food better? If so, what?


An Oxo cube?


A fork?


An energy-efficient lightbulb?


A jack russell?

The Good Little Food Company's Great Big Sausage

The Good Little Company. Ever heard of them? No, nor had I until I spotted their “Great Big Sausages” pack on the shelves of posh people’s corner shop, Waitrose. I’m glad I did.


This is a company that actually Seems To Have A Moral Conscience. Yes, you read that right. These guys really do put their money where their heart is and divert some of the cash they make into providing meals for people who really need them in some of the world’s most deprived countries - Rate My Sausage's contact Dominic tells us that they have now passed 3.2 MILLION meals provided so far, Most Excellent Dudes. I could write some old squit describing the whole process better, but you'd be better off visiting their website and reading it there. You'll find them here: http://goodlittlecompany.com/index.php



Meat Content:
85%, the pack says. I reckon that's pretty accurate, as these tasty little sausages ooze meaty goodness. Indeed, only the Fruitpig Company's almost untouchable Toulouse, the Black Farmer, and Debbie & Andrew's have scored higher (disclaimer - I didn't ascertain the meat content of lots of early sausages, so if they do out-meat these ones, sorry). You can really taste the pork here, which puts these Great Big Sausages a step or two ahead of the competition.

Flavour:
Initially mild, but you'll soon notice a delicious "proper sausage" flavour washing over your tastebuds. My first thought was "A little bland" but in a sausage aimed at feeding children you don't want to pile on the pepper or soak them in salt. It's, apparently, for "health reasons" whatever that means! The Great Bigs are a flavoursome little number, and you could do much, much worse with your weekly shop.

Texture:
Grainy, with a decent amount of chewiness. Just right for children, not bad for grown-ups, but if you're after a huge big-hitting banger then these are not the boys for you. I would imagine that most youngsters would wolf these down, especially if their previous experience of sausages has been the likes of the - frankly - bloody awful Wall's or Richmond's. These are a scaled down, but comparable in taste and texture, version of the best bangers you can find in the supermarket.

Shrinkage:
Average weight uncooked - 59g
Average weight cooked - 47g

Shrinkage - 19%

19% puts the Great Big bang in the middle of the shrinkage league table.

Value For Money:
£2.59 for 6 sausages weighing 351g = £7.38 per kg = 43p per snorker.

Quite expensive by weight and not of the same quality as similarly priced local butchers’ bangers. However, you’re paying a premium which goes to a worthy cause so we’ll let them off. All things considered, decent VFM.

　
Through A Child’s Eyes:
The six-year-old sidekick delivered the verdict of “OK“ on the Great Big sausages. And that’s all he had to say about that. He has a way with words.

And Finally Esther:
A great little banger. When funds permit, I intend to obtain some more and taste-test them directly against some chipolatas from a few local butchers. A slight concern was the rapid transition from "not cooked" to "nearly burnt" which would have ruined the whole test - these were cooked in the standard 1 tbsp of oil, but seemed to reach a tipping point where they suddenly started to colour up at a rapid rate. It was only my anorak-ish constant observation of the cooking process that prevented a smoke alarm moment. My main quibble is the name! They may appear Great Big to a four-year-old, but really they are not. To sum up, the Great Bigs are actually Very Good Little sausages, from a company called....the Good Little Company. Good work chaps, keep it up!

Royal Blue Meat Company Pork Sausage

In the market place in the little town of Wisbech in Cambridgeshire you will find two independent butchers‘ shops. The first Wisbech sausages that Rate My Sausage has judged are half a dozen pork sausages from the Royal Blue Meat Company.


I visited Wisbech on a Thursday and found that it was market day - and I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of stalls and lots of shoppers busily hunting for bargains. There are also a large number of charity shops, so if you’re looking for a cheap shopping day out, Wisbech on a Thursday is a must. When you’ve trudged around all morning I’d also recommend a visit to the Dukes Head pub where landlord Cliff will supply you with an excellent pint and an interesting line in banter.



Meat Content:Not displayed, so I asked - and was told “About 75%”. The butcher didn’t seem too sure though! And having cooked and eaten them, if there’s 75% pork in these bangers then I’m Elvis Presley. If you look at the uncooked picture these sausages seem to resemble the….how shall I put it….”less meaty” end of the sausage scale rather than the porky big-hitters like Bowers or Papworths.

Flavour:Not unpleasant. However, these did taste very similar to a low-end mass-produced sausage rather than a carefully hand-crafted version. Quite salty, with no obvious additional seasoning present, I was quite disappointed to find this sort of sausage sold from a “real” butcher.

Texture:
Once again, these were more Richmond than Impson. Quite a bland, fine, almost mushy filling, inside casings that remained very soft even after cooking. The six slice picture shows how uniform this texture is throughout the banger, which is rather disappointing for a proper butcher’s product. And check out the cooked product - these turned out a rather even, light brown colour after frying - indicating the presence of dextrose or sucrose?

Shrinkage:Average weight uncooked - 57g
Average weight cooked - 42g

Shrinkage - 26%

Value For Money:
£1.65 for 6 sausages, weighing 344g - this works out as a price of £4.69per kg, or 28p per snorker.

The pricing of these sausages is roughly equivalent to Walls or Richmonds, and my honest opinion is that these sausages are pretty much the same quality. Cheap, yes, but you get what you pay for….

Papworth's Farmhouse Pork Sausage

This week we return to Swaffham market place, and the warm welcome found at Papworth‘s Butchers & Graziers.


Our first visit saw us trying the Papworth‘s Champion pork sausage. Now, I would have thought that with the name “Champion”, this was their best banger. I would have thought wrong. Read on….

Meat Content:
I believe each of these sausages may be the entire leg of a tiny breed of pig, genetically engineered by Papworth’s in a lab somewhere, possibly just off the A1065 Fakenham to Swaffham road in one of the Weasenhams (my money’s on Weasenham All Saints). Superbly meaty, these bangers are deliciously chunky, a carnivore’s delight. Bravo!

Flavour:
Porky. Peppery. Perfect! Every single bite was an absolute joy, and I found myself cutting them smaller so that the meal would last longer. That’s a first for me, as I still have the military mindset of “Eat as fast as you can”. When you buy some, relish every mouthful.

Texture:Would “fabulous“ do them justice? Could I risk a “sumptuous“? Papworth‘s sure know how to make sausages, and these are even better than their Champion Porkers. Sliced into six the slices stood defiantly upright, daring me to “come and have a nibble, if you think you’re hard enough”. So I re-sliced each slice, and they still stood firm. To say that these chaps are “firm” is inadequate. Perfection in a pig-skin.

Shrinkage:Average weight uncooked - 79g
Average weight cooked - 72g

Shrinkage - 9%

Unprecedented single-figure shrinkage. The lowest score of any banger so far, with 12% being the next lowest (Vancouver Butcher’s Pork Sausage and Papworth’s other banger, the Champion Pork). GREAT work Papworth’s.

Value For Money:
£3.05, for 6 sausages weighing 476g - this is a price of £6.58 per kg, or 51p per snorker. 51p is maybe in the top quarter of the table price-wise but you need to ask - “Is this sausage what I is scoffing worth 51p?” For me, it’s a no-brainer, “YES!” Great VFM, buy some right now!