Sausage Roll Wreath with Mulled Wine & Cranberry Relish

Christmas is all about taking everyday food up a notch, and when it comes to upgrading the humble sausage roll, we love this delicious recipe for an indulgent and festive Sausage Roll Wreath. It’s even served complete with a tasty cranberry relish for that extra-festive hit!

Serves: 10 – 12
Prep: 25 minutes
Total cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

You’ll need:

• 1 x 500g block puff pastry
• 1 x 500g pack British pork sausage meat
• 2 tbsp finely chopped sage
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• a sprinkle of plain flour, for dusting
• 1 large egg, beaten

For the relish:

• 1 x 250ml jar cranberry sauce
• zest of 1 orange, pared
• 3 tbsp red wine (or port)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise

Step 1
Reserve 4 tablespoons of cranberry sauce for later, then put the rest into a small pan with the remaining relish ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, then leave to cool. Remove the pastry from the fridge about 10 minutes before you need to roll it out.

Step 2
Mix the sausage meat, sage, ground cloves, mace, and some salt and pepper with your hands in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.

Step 3
On a floured surface, roll the pastry to a long rectangle, about 30cm x 45cm. Spread the reserved 4 tablespoons of cranberry sauce lengthways down the middle of the pastry, in a line about 5cm wide. Mould the sausage meat into a long log and lay it on top of the cranberry sauce.

Step 4
Use the beaten egg to brush down one side of the pastry. Fold the other side over the meat, then the eggwashed side over this to seal. Turn over, so the seal is at the bottom, to look like a giant sausage roll. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Step 5
Cut two-thirds of the way though the sausage roll roughly every 3.5-4cm, to make 10 to 12 sections, then join the two ends (uncut side in the middle) together with a little more egg wash, to form a wreath.

Step 6
Gently twist each piece of sausage roll over, without tearing it from the main body, so it is filling-side up. Brush any exposed pastry with the remaining egg wash.

Step 7
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed, and the sausage meat is cooked through.

Step 8
Serve with the relish in a small bowl in the centre for dipping (remove the whole spices and zest first, if you like), and tuck in the herbs for presentation, if using.

Our top tip: This delicious wreath is ideal to tare and share among family and friends, so makes a great centrepiece for your Christmas party food (or you could keep it all to yourself)