Pork, cranberry and thyme sausage rolls

Craving a savoury and satisfying snack or buffet table addition? Look no further than my homemade Pork, Cranberry, and Thyme Sausage Rolls!

This recipe offers a delicious twist on the classic, incorporating juicy ground pork, sweet and tart cranberries, and aromatic thyme for a flavour explosion.

Don’t be fooled by the elegant name, though – these sausage rolls are incredibly easy to prepare, making them perfect for busy weeknights or casual gatherings. Get ready to impress your taste buds with a homemade twist on a timeless favourite which can easily be adapted for the festive table too!

Pork, cranberry and thyme sausage rolls

Food inspiration can strike at any time and with this recipe it came when my older son watched The Great British Bake Off. In previous years we’ve watched the show and occasionally he sees something he wants to try. That particular week (quarter finals I think) the signature challenge was to bake a batch of 12 sausage rolls. Paul Hollywood declared this challenge his most favourite yet having baked millions and millions of them (his words)!

My son watched all the bakers made their rough puff pastry and a filling they hoped would tantalise the taste buds of the judges, hopefully earning them the most coveted Paul Hollywood handshake.

But something happened during this round of the Bake Off. Benjamin declared that he wanted to try these sausage rolls, but more importantly he wanted to help make them too!

He sat glued to the screen while the contestants made their sausage rolls, as well as sitting through the judging, making a mental note of the judges comments. He liked the sound of a sausage roll with cranberries and a few weeks later we got around to making some to enjoy over the Christmas holidays.

Now you might think you know a good sausage roll, but until you’ve made your own, nothing you can buy ready made comes close to that light, flaky pastry enrobing a deliciously moist pork sausage filling laced with your chosen flavours.

Ingredients for 12 servings

400g	Pork sausage meat
500g	Puff pastry block
50g	Dried cranberries
2	Egg yolks
50 ml	Milk
50g	Plain flour
	Fresh thyme
	Black pepper

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush
• Palet knife
• Baking sheet/tray
• Non stick baking parchment

Method

• Pre-heat your oven to 190°C fan/400°F.
• Place the sausage meat into a large bowl and add the dried cranberries.
• Take 2-3 stems of *fresh thyme and run your fingers down the stem to remove the leaves – ideally you should do this over the sausage meat. Then add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Using a fork, mash the sausage meat until the cranberries, thyme leaves and black pepper are evenly distributed before setting aside.
• Take the puff pastry block and lightly dust with plain flour on both sides. Also dust your rolling pin.
• Place the dusted block onto a work surface or *bakers silicon sheet and start to roll the pastry block.
• Aim to roll the pastry into a rectangle with the pastry approximately 3-4mm thick. If you have a rolling pin with thickness guides this makes it really easy.
• Using a knife, cut the pastry in half.
• Weigh your filling so that you can divide it equally.
• Wet your hands with cold water and take half of the mixture. Place large blobs of mixture down the centre of the pastry sheet and start to form an even sausage shape down the entire length of pastry. Repeat for the other pastry sheet.
• Using the pastry brush, brush one side of the pastry sheet with milk. This is going to help form your seal. Once brushed, take the pastry edge that hasn’t been brushed with milk and fold it over the sausage meat and again over to form the seal. You don’t need to crimp the edge. Repeat for the other sausage roll.
• Take your pallet knife and cut the large sausage roll in half. Then cut each side into thirds. Repeat for the other sausage roll. The cut using a pallet knife is enough to seal the individual sausage rolls.
• Cut a piece of non stick baking parchment, scrunch it into a ball before flattening it to cover your baking sheet – no fiddly cuts here!
• Arrange the sausage rolls on the baking sheet so that they’re not touching.
• Carefully separate the yolks from the egg whites. Rinse and dry the pastry brush before brushing the tops of the sausage rolls with the egg yolks.
• After 5 minutes egg wash each sausage roll again and bake for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, turn the oven down approximately 20 degrees and bake for a further 15 minutes.
• Once baked, remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave the sheet on the cooker top for approximately 5 minute before placing them on a cooling rack to completely cool.
• If you can’t wait for them to completely cool before trying one, just be careful. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Notes

• I’ve tried making this recipe with ready rolled puff pastry sheets, but I didn’t think the pastry puffed as well as it did when I used the pastry block.
• If you don’t have fresh thyme you could use dried, but add only a pinch as the flavour is much more intense.
• If you don’t have a bakers silicon sheet (as shown above) then your kitchen work surface will be fine, but I do find that you need much less flour than you would if using the work surface.
• Some recipes use the yolk and white for the egg wash, but for a a golden pastry, the professionals use a double egg wash of the yolk only.
• Don’t waste your egg whites! Keep them in a jar and add them to more eggs for an omelette or frittata.

Turning this into a sausage roll wreath

Adapting this recipe to make a sausage roll wreath for the festive season couldn’t be simpler. Follow the basic recipe above to make the flavoured sausage meat, but roll the pastry into a really long rectangle. Place the sausage meat in the centre and brush one side with milk for the seal. Then fold over the pastry so that you’re left with a long sausage roll. Line your baking sheet with baking parchment before carefully transferring the sausage roll and shaping into a circle. Join the ends by crimping the pastry but don’t worry too much. Take a sharp knife and carefully cut into the pastry to form your pieces and cut halfway into the sausage meat. Use egg yolk to glaze your pastry on all sides and follow the baking instructions above.

This was such a successful bake that most of it was eaten still warm from the oven! Happy baking!

Recipe updated 18th November 2024