I have a bit of a confession to make... I love vegetarian sausages

Have you ever been to Ikea and eaten one of their vegetarian hot dogs? They’re not really hot dog sausages at all; they’re more like Quorn-type sausages that have been boiled in water. They are damp in a way that ‘normal’ hot dogs aren’t  - much more slimy and very pale, with none of the satisfying bite that you’re supposed to get from the outside of a sausage.

And yet, in spite of all that, I really like them. So much so that I happen to consider a vegetarian hot dog a fine reward for schlepping around the gigantic Ikea showroom for several hours trying to decide between the ‘Jamsunda’ sideboard and the ‘Leksvik’ buffet. Even if I come away from the shop without any new furniture at all, if I’ve eaten a vegetarian hot dog on my way out I feel like the journey hasn’t been entirely wasted.

To be fair to Ikea, Quorn sausages aren’t the easiest things to cook in my experience. They always seem to stay a bit ghostly in colour no matter how long I cook them for. But they are perfect for a Sunday morning fry-up – with toast, baked beans, potato cakes, mushrooms,  grilled tomato, poached eggs (for lacto-ovo vegetarians) and plenty of cups of tea. Yes, even vegetarian sausages work wonders with hangovers.

Of course, the queen of the vegetarian sausage has to be Linda McCartney. Hers are a different texture altogether – less slime and more sawdust – but still perfectly edible in my opinion, and a life-saver for non-veggies to serve with a roast dinner when they’re wondering what to feed you.  One of the most exciting weeks of last year for me though, has to have been when I discovered her sausage rolls in my local supermarket – can there be anyone out there who doesn’t like pastry? Even though I managed to burn them both times I cooked them, I still thought they were delicious. I should mention here that I was a huge fan of sausage rolls before I gave up eating meat – you know the way some vegetarians miss bacon, well for me it’s sausage rolls – so obviously I’m biased in favour of anyone who attempts to bring this wonderful culinary invention back to me.

Toad in the hole has a similar enduring appeal for me, so I was pleased to find Aunt Bessies Vegetarian Toad in the Hole on the supermarket shelves too – although I see that Linda McCartney does one also. Batter, like pastry, is a wonderful homely comfort-food and you can’t beat a bit of batter in the winter. Come to think of it, I burned that too; there must be something wrong with my oven.

A Sausage Update!

A reader of my confession of my love for veggie bangers kindly recommended Cauldron sausages, and I finally got around to having a sausage buttie today using Cauldron veggie Cumberland sausages.

What can I say? Yum yum! Move over Mrs McCartney!

These are honestly the nearest thing I have got to a 'real' sausage sandwich in years. They are delicious and go perfectly with the classic sausage buttie ingredients - white bread and tomato ketchup! They are easily my new favourites.

Thank you very much for the recommendation Veggy nut!

If you have any vegetarian food recommendations, we would love to hear from you.

Comments

[Odharnaith]

Hello there,

Well done on your refreshing website! As a meat eater I find it very difficult to get tasty and edible vegetarian food other than what I'd cook myself at home. I agree, the most many restaurants offer is the token 'pasta in a tomato sauce'! While I'm quite partial to this, I tend to preserve it for a cold winters night on-the-couch-comfort-food! With melted cheese on top and a glass of wine :)

It would be nice to hear of restaurants who offer more imaginative vegetarian on their menu. I know they're out there!

[Veggynut]

Hello !

I've been a veggy for 17 years and I swear by Cauldron veggy sausages. My husband eats meat, but he happily admits he'd take a Cauldron lincolnshire sausage over his nasty pork ones any day of the week.

Their tofu's not up to much, but can't say I've ever found any that is, if you know if any I'd be interested to hear about it?

Cheerio,

Veggy nut

[morethanmushrooms]

Hi Veggie nut,

Thank you very much for the tip about Cauldron Lincolnshire Sausages - they'll definitely be on the next shopping list :)

Sadly I have to agree with you about the tofu, but we're always on the hunt for new and improved veggie products so if I come across a good one I'll be in touch.

Thanks again for taking the time to send your recommendation,

more than mushrooms