These Donal Skehan sausage rolls are my most-requested Christmas recipe

These are the best sausage rolls you will ever eat.

That’s not an over-exaggeration. I brought these bad boys into the office in the run-up to Christmas one year, and that was the common theme of everyone’s exaltations. They are AMAZING. And even better, they’re easy to make. You can even prep the meat and then freeze it until you’re ready to cook.

This recipe makes sausage rolls that are full of flavour, thanks to lots of fresh herbs, wholegrain mustard and a touch of sweetness from the honey and cranberries. They can be prepared in advance and only cooked off when you need them.

Ingredients

• 375g puff pastry
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 400g sausage meat
• 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp sage, chopped
• 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
• 50g breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 75g dried cranberries
• 3 smoked streaky bacon, cut into thin slices
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 25g sesame seeds, to sprinkle on top
• 1 egg, beaten, to brush on top

Method

1. Mix the tablespoons of honey and Dijon mustard together and put aside.
2. Mix the sausage meat, herbs, breadcrumbs, wholegrain mustard, cranberries, bacon and the salt and pepper together in a bowl. Divide the mixture in two.
3. Wrap the meat mixture in cling film and roll it out to the length of the pastry. Place the roll in the fridge and leave it for about an hour to firm up. Repeat with the second batch of meat.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
5. Roll out the pastry and cut it in half lengthways. Brush the pastry sheets with the honey and mustard mix.
6. Take the meat out of the fridge, remove the cling film and place the sausage meat in the middle of the pastry sheets; roll the pastry and brush the edge with water to seal. Brush the top of the sausage rolls with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Cut the rolls into thumb-size pieces, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Recipe & Photography Donal Skehan for Image Interiors & Living.