We tested 10 premium-style pork sausages to find the best-tasting bangers, and found some big brand options that really tickled our panel’s tastebuds, while others left them disappointed.
Premium bangers from Heck, The Jolly Hog and The Black Farmer were blind-tasted by a panel of consumers, alongside own-label premium-style pork sausages from supermarkets including Asda, Lidl and Tesco.
Two sets of sausages impressed with their juicy and meaty flavour, and were Best Buys.
But the worst lost marks for rubbery texture, tasting too salty and for an unappetising appearance.
Our results show that you shouldn’t rule out cheaper supermarket options either: one own-label option we tested came a close third on taste overall and is nearly £2 cheaper per kg than our top-scoring sausages.
Find out which brands topped our tests, and the supermarket sausages that shone, in our guide to the best premium-style pork sausages.
Paying more doesn’t always pay off
If you’re after the tastiest sausages, you might think that choosing a pricier option is a safe bet. But our results show this isn’t necessarily the case.
In fact, the lowest-scoring sausage we tested was also one of the most expensive. Our tasters thought it had a drier texture than others and most found the pork flavour too weak.
If high meat content is a priority for you when buying sausages, be aware that paying more doesn’t guarantee you’ll get more meat.
It also doesn’t automatically mean the tastiest results, either. There was no correlation between score and price or meat content in our taste test.
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What’s the healthiest way to cook sausages?
The nutritional information shown on pack is typically based on grilling the sausages. But the cooking method you choose can affect the overall fat content.
Shefalee Loth, Which? nutrition expert, explains: ‘Frying will increase the oil content. The amount it affects it depends on how much oil you use and how much is absorbed. If you want to avoid adding extra fat then it’s best to grill, oven cook or barbecue your sausages.’
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How we tested premium-style pork sausages
We tested 10 premium range pork sausages including branded and supermarket own label options.
We grilled the sausages according to pack instructions and served them blind to a panel of 61 tasters to rate.
They assessed them in a private booth so they couldn’t be influenced by others and rated the taste, texture, appearance and aroma of each one.
The overall score is based on:
- 50% flavour
- 20% appearance
- 15% texture
- 15% aroma
From baked beans and chips to red wine and champagne, find out which products our tasters rate best in our guide to the best food and drink
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/06/heck-vs-jolly-hog-vs-the-black-farmer-which-branded-sausages-are-worth-splashing-out-on/