sausagesGavin has been busy making Lamb Merguez sausage from local South Downs lamb, as well as Chorizo, Stansted and Plain sausage from Berkshire Black rare-breed pork.

There are now very few places where you get genuine hand-made sausages as it is impossible to do this on any great scale.  As a result, you get a proper sausage experience when you try one of Gavin’s sausages, with simple ingredients, mixed and stuffed by hand.  While I can recommend them all, I will give a quick mention to the lamb merguez, as my wife cooked a seriously delicious dish that I must share with you.

Merguez Ragout with Poached Eggs
Serves 4

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, small dice
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 pound merguez sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 1 tablespoon ras el hanout,
  • 1 teaspoon Spanish sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cans chopped tomatoes
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped coriander, stems included
  • 2 tablespoons harissa
  • warm crusty bread, for serving
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Toss in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the merguez and sauté until almost cooked through
  2. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the Ras el Hanout, Spanish smoked paprika and salt. Stir to combine and cook for a minute to lightly toast the spices. Add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to medium and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
  3. Crack the eggs over the mixture, cover and cook until the whites set, but the yolks are still soft.
  4. Divide the eggs and ragout among four warm bowls using a large spoon. Top with a sprinkling of coriander and a teaspoon of Harissa.