Ingredients:

  • 1 lb (450 g) High-Quality Pork Mince (Sausage meat)
  • ½ cup (60 g) Fresh White Breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup (40 g) Dried Cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp (15 g) Fresh Sage, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp (5 g) Fresh Thyme Leaves
  • 1 Large Egg (for filling), lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon Mustard
  • ½ tsp (2.5 g) Sea Salt
  • ¼ tsp (1 g) Black Pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 lb (450 g) All-Butter Puff Pastry, cold
  • 1 Large Egg (for egg wash), whisked with 1 tsp milk or water
  • 1 Tbsp (15 g) Sesame Seeds or Nigella Seeds (for sprinkling)

Instructions:

  1. Combine all filling ingredients (pork mince, breadcrumbs, cranberries, sage, thyme, beaten egg, mustard, salt, and pepper) in a large bowl. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Do not overwork the meat.
  2. Cover the bowl and chill the filling in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to firm up the mixture.
  3. Prepare the pastry: Lightly flour your work surface. Unroll or roll out the cold puff pastry to a thickness of about 3mm (1/8 inch). Cut the pastry into two long rectangles (approximately 12x4 inches / 30x10 cm each).
  4. Divide the chilled filling into two equal portions and roll each portion into a long, uniform sausage shape, matching the length of the pastry rectangles. Place one filling shape down the centre of each pastry rectangle.
  5. Brush one long edge of the pastry with the egg wash. Fold the dry edge of the pastry over the filling, meeting and overlapping the washed edge. Gently press down to seal tightly.
  6. Turn the roll so the seam is underneath. Lightly crimp the top edge with a fork to secure the seal and add texture. Brush the entire log generously with egg wash.
  7. Using a very sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the long rolls into 12 small pieces each (about 1.5 inches / 4 cm long).
  8. Arrange the rolls seam-side down on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Brush again with egg wash and sprinkle generously with sesame or nigella seeds. Chill the prepared rolls for another 15 minutes.
  9. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C Fan/Convection). Bake for 25–30 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through, until the pastry is deeply golden brown, puffed up, and the filling is cooked through.
  10. Cool the sausage rolls slightly on the tray for 5-10 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.