Sausage Rolls with Ham and Cheddar

These Sausage Rolls with Ham and Cheddar will bring a little something extra to your next picnic or party. Bring some classic British charm to your kitchen with these tasty bites of awesomeness.

Have you ever watched British costume dramas about the aristocracy and been completely blown away by how little those lords and ladies actually have to do in a day? Granted, an entire industry was built around their neediness and it provided a decent wage for the servant class, but it's still really weird.

Take the movie Emma for example. There's a picnic scene in this movie. There's an elaborate spread of food and drink on a perfectly decorated picnic blanket. Tea is served in silver and fine China. And all the people enjoying this picnic have to do is turn up and wait for things to be put in their hands by white gloved servants. Hours of labor went in to creating this idyllic afternoon, and the guests, and even the host, did absolutely nothing. It's so weird. What's that even like?

What makes Sausage Rolls with Ham and Cheddar so awesome?

No matter how much wealth I attract, I will always be the kind of person who enjoys making my own sausage rolls, and this version with ham, cheddar, and mustard folded in is extra awesome. If you've never tried a sausage roll before, you need to end that nonsense right now. They're easy to make and almost too delicious for how simple they are.

Use good quality sausage here, as that's the star of the show. But these sausage rolls bring an extra level of flavor with a slice of deli ham and a pinch of cheddar cheese folded inside the flaky puff pastry. There's also a dab of mustard for some spicy sweetness. I use American mustard because all other mustards in the UK blow my head off. Use your personal favorite. These are delicious eaten hot or cold, and they wouldn't be hurt by a spoonful of onion chutney dabbed on top, either.

Make it magical

I think the best way to make this recipe magical is to take it outside. Pack up a blanket, a bottle of chilled wine, and your flaky sausage rolls and have a picnic, either on your own or with someone else who wants to connect with you and with the natural world.

But make this picnic mindful. Take the time to feel the grass and smell the flowers. Thank the trees that give you shade and the bees and insects that make the lush life all around you possible. Respectfully leave an offering of a bit of your food and drink for Mother Nature or the Fae. And when you leave, do so with reverence and make sure you've taken all your trash away with you. Take your magick beyond the kitchen and enjoy your food in a place that brings you life.

For magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Tips for making Sausage Rolls

We are taking some help from the store here by using store-bought puff pastry, along with all the other prepared ingredients like deli ham and mustard. No, you don't have to make your own sausage or cheese. Though our servant ancestors may have had to create all of these ingredients on their own.

Basically, we're making an assembly line and filling six squares of puff pastry with our ingredients. A slice of ham, a pinch of shredded cheese, a line of mustard, then one sausage, casing removed, for each square. I usually give the sausage a little squish to make it stretch to each end of the puff pastry. Then we just fold the puff pastry over this whole situation and seal it shut with a fork.

Place your sausage rolls seam side down on a lined baking sheet. You can cut each one in half for smaller bites if you want to feed more people. Cut diagonal vents in each on, or carve a sigil or symbol into your sausage roll if you like. Then give each one a brush of beaten egg. I like to sprinkle on some nigella seeds, but it's more for visual appeal than flavor.

Then just bake them up until puffed and golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack to prevent soggy bottoms, then you can either eat them hot or pack them up to take on an adventure.

These Sausage Rolls with Ham and Cheddar are so delicious, you're going to want to eat them everywhere all the time. You better start baking.

Looking for more awesome picnic treats? Try some classic Cornish Pasties with some Stem Ginger Biscuits.

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