The big bang

People are telling porkies about the death of the British sausage. But not Michael Bateman ÿ this week he tracks down the best in the land

This is the end of the British banger. It must be, I've seen the headlines. "British banger is under threat," said the Express. "Sausage skin ban would mean the end of the banger," reported the Sunday Telegraph. So enjoy your weekend cooked breakfast while you can.

Well, not exactly. While Britain's Food Standards Agency wants a Europe-wide ban on certain sausage casings (ones that use sheep intestines from countries with a record of BSE because they pose an unproven theoretical threat of passing CJD to humans), it's not going to sound the death-knell for the sausage. If the EU decides this month to ban sheep casings, it would certainly be bad news for British firms that sell sheep intestines to German wurst-makers, for example. But only 30 per cent of UK sausages (albeit in the gourmet, premium ranges) use natural casings, and only half of them are from sheep (they're only used for chipolatas in fact; bigger bangers need the wider hog casings). And firms will still be able to use sheep casings imported from New Zealand – already a major source of chipolata skins to leading firms such as Prince Charles's Duchy Originals.

The truth of the matter is that the British sausage industry is in it's best shape for years, and the Meat and Live-stock Commission has the figures to prove it. Each year in the UK we eat 250,000 tons of bangers, and sales have increased in the past two years, with most growth coming in the premium market. After years (well, since the Second World War) of sales being based on quantity rather than quality, consumers are now divided into first class and economy. And our sausage-shopping habits are not being dictated by supermarkets – loose sausages from local butchers outsell those from multiples by two to one.

Bangers are doing well in cafés too. At Sausages & Mash (268 Portobello Road, London W10, tel: 020 8968 8898), Kevin Finch believes he has found a gap in the market above fast food but at a lower price than most restaurants. Finch charges £5.75 for two sausages or £6.95 for three (from a vast array of different varieties) served with a choice of several different types of mash and gravy. It's good, hearty food for all, and it's proving to be successful – S&M is branching out across London, and the expansion starts this month with a new site in Essex Road, Islington.

So forget about the count-down to the end of the sausage. The question we should be asking is this: which is the best banger of a very good British bunch? Armed with some of the very finest on the market, three expert judges, and the chefs at S&M, I decided to to find out. The results of our blind tasting are marked out of 20 – for appearance, texture and flavour – and appear to the right.

Meet the panel. Paul Gayler is the executive head chef at London's Lanes-borough Hotel. A bangers fan, he helps promote British Sausage Appreciation Week (from 28 October). Kevin Finch has previously run London's Dakota and Pharmacy restaurants. Viv Gill is a home economist from the Meat and Livestock Commission. And finally, of course, there's me – you didn't expect me to miss out, did you?

Britain's best (and wurst) bangersOur panel of experts delivers its verdict

Cambrian Organics 10/20

Welsh mountain lamb with leeks and laverbread

A new product from this reputable group of Welsh farmers, but these bangers failed to impress our judges. The texture is very dense, too much so, and although we agreed with Kevin that they "really taste of lamb fat", the lamb flavour was overpowering. Could have done with some mint, perhaps, to lighten it up, suggested Paul, who also thought "you couldn't eat a lot". "It's clearly good quality lamb, though," said Kevin. Don't be surprised if the recipe is soon refined.

£4.75, 450g. Available by mail-order, tel: 01559 363 151, or www.cambrianorganics.com

Duchy originals 15/20

Old-fashioned free-range pork with herbs

"A good breakfast sausage," said Paul about these bangers from the Prince of Wales's organic farm. But they weren't the definitive sausage we were looking for – Kevin found them a bit too fatty and peppery. We all agreed.

£2.69, 400g. Available through supermarkets, tel: 020 7834 0507 for stockists

FarmHouse Direct 13/20

Cumberland; Old-english Highland beef

From Long Ghyll Farms in Bleasedale, near Preston, Lancashire. Judging the Cumberland alone would have boosted this producer's final score (to 17 out of 20). It had nice big bits of fat making for a good coarse texture, said Paul, while Viv noted the fine balance of seasoning. The beef version was less convincing. Paul: "Tastes like corned beef." Kevin: "Not a good beef sausage – it needs something else; ale maybe." With such a dark appearance, it looked less than appetising too.

£3.18, 500g. Available by mail-order, www.farmhousedirect.com or tel: 01995 61799

Lazenby's 12/20

Better Because reduced-fat and gluten-free

The meat and sausage specialists from Stockton certainly scored high marks for appearance, Kevin noted. But, as Paul suggested, "there's something a bit artificial about the taste". As we ate more of these pork bangers, things got slightly worse. "There's a nasty aftertaste," said Viv. Still, a decent meaty sausage.

£2.29, 340g. Available from supermarkets, for stockists tel: 01642 750 600

Lidgate's 10/20

Highgrove organic pork

David Lidgate runs this family butchers – perhaps the most famous and respected in London. But in our blind tasting, these bangers did not live up to the billing. "It certainly looks meaty, but it does not come across as good as it looks – it's salty, dry and rusky," said Paul. "And peppery – it leaves a burn," added Viv. Don't dismiss Lidgate's – it's a fine shop and deserves its reputation – but perhaps go for something else.

£18/kg. Available from Lidgate's, 110 Holland Park Avenue, London W11, tel: 020 7727 8243

Musk's 10/20

Original recipe

From a Newmarket specialist since 1884, this was a fairly good banger, but, said Viv, "it tastes unremarkable". Paul instantly found the taste "plasticky", and Kevin commented that the skins – although natural – seemed plasticky too. Not the best in show.

£2.49, 384g. Available through supermarkets, or mail order, tel: 01638 662 626 or visit www.musks.com

Portwine 9.5/20

Wild boar with garlic and wine

Established in the 18th century, this family-run butchers makes a range of 10 sausages which are rotated to include two or three in store at one time, but this boar version is pretty much a permanent fixture. I found them unbelievably dense, and we all found them very dry – "they need some redcurrant jelly," suggested Paul. People like the idea of boar, said Kevin. Still, these aren't the best.

£11.90/kg. 24 Earlham Street, London WC2, tel: 020 7836 2353

Sainsbury's 17/20

Taste the Difference Cumberland; Taste the Difference pork and leek

There's a big range of these bangers – we tasted two types. The Cumberlands went down a treat. "They're tasty, for sure," said Kevin. "Good balance of flavour – seasoning's about right," said Paul. The leek are good too. "I can taste the leek but it's not too much," said Kevin. "They're a bit too smooth, though," said Viv. "Personally I'd prefer them to be coarser," agreed Paul. Overall, they're the best bangers here – you don't have to go to small producers to notice the new high standards.

Cumberland: £2.49, 350g; pork and leek: £2.49, 400g

Sillfield Farm 15/20

Wild boar with Chianti and shallots; Cumberland

This was a better wild-boar banger than the Portwine version. As Kevin said, the appearance doesn't immediatley grab you, but it's a nice sausage. Paul would have liked a coarser texture – Kevin agreed it was spongy. The Cumberland, made from rare-breed pork, was better still – good texture, seasoning, appearance – but the score was dragged down a little by the boar.

Wild boar: £11.40/kg; Cumberland: £7.15/kg. Available from Sillfield Farm, Endmoor, Kendal, Cumbria. For stockists, call 01539 567 609

Simply Sausages 16/20

Honey and mustard; celery and stilton

A specialist in London's Smithfield Market, and the supplier to S&M, offering a huge range. These bangers certainly looked the part – plump and golden. I thought the texture was brilliant – the perfect balance of smooth and coarse. Managed its variations while still definitely a "pure" sausage, rather than a gimmick, noted Paul.

Honey and mustard: £6,50/kg. Celery and stilton: £7.10/kg. Available from Simply Sausages, 341 London Central Markets, London EC1, tel: 020 7329 3227

Tesco 13/20

Finest Traditional pork and herb; Finest pork and leek

First impressions weren't great here. Although they're meaty looking sausages, they all burst – "because there's so much leek," suggested Kevin, too much, perhaps. Personally I liked the herbs in the others, but they're not to everyone's taste: "There's an awful lot of thyme in that," said Paul. Both tasted fatty – not to the others' taste, but I enjoyed them. Still, as Kevin was keen to point out, they're decent bangers.

£1.99, 454g

Wall's 8/20

Chef's Selection pork

Oh dear. These are meant to be a cut above the standard Wall's bangers, but they failed to impress anyone. Viv: "Too smooth, too bland." Paul: "Bland, fatty and bready – I wouldn't pay for that." Kevin: "You'd need to be really hung-over to eat that." It's the brand everyone thinks of first, but according to our blind-tasting, you'd better treat these as a last resort. You can easily find something more interesting.

£1.89, 454g. Available at supermarkets, for stockists tel: 0800 783 4321