Toad in the hole

Antony Worrall Thompson

“One of the most effective things we, the public, can do to support better farm animal welfare is to use our consumer power to encourage retailers to stock welfare-assured products. Just ask for them!”

Toad in the hole is a family favourite – tasty and wholesome, it's a great choice for wintery days.

Preparation time: 5minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
3 tbsp thyme leaves
8 Freedom Food labelled sausages
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp of beef dripping
for the batter
115g / 4oz plain flour
large pinch of salt
4 Freedom Food labelled eggs
300ml / ½ pint milk
freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions with 1 tbsp of the thyme until soft but not coloured. Place in the bottom of a roasting dish.
To make the batter, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs. Gradually beat the eggs into the flour and slowly add the milk until the batter is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Stir in the remaining thyme and season with black pepper. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Cook the sausages in a large frying pan over a medium heat until golden brown all over. Remove the sausages from the pan, brush with the mustard and set aside.

Add the dripping to the onions in the roasting dish and place in the oven for 5 minutes or until the dripping is hot and almost smoking.

Add the sausages to the roasting dish and pour in the batter. Immediately return the roasting dish to the oven and bake for 35–40 minutes until well risen and golden. If the batter is becoming too brown on the outside reduce the oven to 190°C / 374°F / Gas Mark 5. Once ready, serve immediately.

All recipes published in the Freedom Food Celebrity Recipe Collection 2009.