- Delivered fresh
- Native breed
- Suitable for freezing
Product description
A Traditional Italian Sausage for Festive Feasting
The Cotechino sausage hails from the Modena region of Italy and is a cherished winter dish, traditionally served with lentils at Christmas and New Year. It’s a wonderful example of rustic provincial fare that, when prepared with care, delivers deep, satisfying flavour.
This classic Italian* sausage is made with pork cheek and requires long, gentle simmering to break down its natural gelatin. The key to perfect Cotechino lies in patience — don’t be tempted to rush. When cooked slowly, the result is meltingly tender and richly moreish.
Our Cotechino sausage serves two generously and makes an ideal centrepiece for a cold-weather feast.
Valentine Warner shares his favourite ways to serve Cotechino:
"This is among my favourites for autumn and winter eating; it’s a most delicious Italian sausage for its gluey, gelatinous pig cheek offering. Poach the sausage at barely a wobble for 60–90 minutes and then allow to cool before slicing and frying. Reserve the stock — this may become a soup or braise to which the sausage would be deliciously returned. A fortifying soup of, say, braised cannellini beans and cotechino, with a hint of chilli heat and barely a touch of white wine and tomato.
Similar to a pommes aligot, I like to load up a potato purée with beaten-in Taleggio and raw garlic, the sliced and fried sausage then settled on top. Such a plate will certainly need a good glass of wine to help melt it away from the artery walls. But who cares, as I eat for joy!
Alternatively, make a sharp little salad of Puy lentils, diced carrot and fresh parsley, and jewel it with some chopped-up, syrupy Italian mustard fruits or pickles, arranged between glistening circles of seared sausage.
Go nuts and stuff a duck with pre-poached cotechino and serve with a fairly intense red wine and honey jus, the plate decorated with whole roast or candied chestnuts beside the lucky duck."
*We also offer a range of Italian-style options, including Calabrian-Style Sausages, Tuscan-Style Sausages, and Tuscan-Style Sausage Meat.
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Benefits of Swaledale Butchers
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Always Fresh, Never Frozen®
Orders received before 9am are freshly prepared and shipped via DPD for next-day delivery. We serve the whole of the UK, excluding the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland, and certain areas of Scotland.
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Unparalleled Quality
For over ten years, our meat has been celebrated in Britain’s finest restaurant kitchens. We’re proud to work with native breed farmers and to genuinely support sustainable, traditional farming - values that define Swaledale Butchers."
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Sustainable & Traceable
We partner with select farms and trusted local abattoirs, ensuring high animal welfare standards and complete traceability for all our products.
