Pork & Wild Garlic Sausages 480g

Nothing signals the beginning of British springtime quite like the sight of tender little wild garlic leaves sprouting through the topsoil; it is the perfect illustration of renewal that we so associate with spring. Within a few short weeks, many ancient woodlands on the Yorkshire Dales become so abundant with wild garlic, that they resemble a lush green carpet stretching into the distance.

When nature offers up such a delicious bounty, it is our cue to indulge with wild abandon; this represents the pure joy of cooking with the seasons. You wait with anticipation all year, then wholeheartedly enjoy the ingredient as often as you desire during its short window, before gratefully waving goodbye until next season. It’s the perfect cycle.

As you know, Swaledale Butchers is a champion of fresh, seasonal produce, and a fierce advocate for letting the instinctive rhythm of nature guide our food choices. So, in the spirit of this seasonal approach, we simply couldn’t pass on the opportunity to develop a pork & wild garlic sausage.

We embarked on a Swaledale team outing to a local woodland, picked several kilos of beautiful wild garlic leaves, washed them, blanched them, and minced them along with pork shoulder and belly. We added a little smoked bacon - because wild garlic loves a hint of smoke - along with black pepper, chilli flakes and nutmeg. The result is a punchy but balanced sausage which is perfect for springtime.

Try wild garlic sausages alongside a champ mash and an onion gravy that is spiked with a little more, fresh wild garlic. Some buttered spring greens on the side makes for a simple and comforting meal.

Wild garlic sausages could also find a pleasing home in a casserole with beautiful plump chickpeas and Swiss chard.

Or, rekindle the innocence of childhood and have sausage, chips and beans. Try cannellini beans, braised simply with a little tomato purée, rosemary and stock, and then triple-cooked chips and some English mustard on the side.

*We use the same quality whole muscle cuts in our Pork & Wild Garlic Sausages, as we sell fresh to our restaurant chefs; our high welfare, heritage breed Middle White and Tamworth pork has an exceptional depth-of-flavour and natural marbling throughout. Shoulder and belly are our preferred cuts providing just the right fat content for a really succulent sausage.