Sizzling in a frying pan for breakfast or thrown on a barbecue on a hot summer's day, sausages are a staple in most households and there's so many to choose from.
From cheap family size packs to gourmet varieties with fancy flavours, most supermarket have a large selection of sausages to choose from depending on your taste and budget. In colder months, they work great in a casserole or toad in the hole, and at this time of year a sizzling sausage on the barby is hard to beat.
But we all know there's nothing worse than a bad quality sausage, full of gristle, so this week we went in search of the best supermarket sausages. We tried a variety, including vegetarian and chicken, to find the top picks on the supermarket shelves. Here's what we found:
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Heck Simply Chicken Chipolatas
I find chicken sausages to be a healthier alternative to pork and often eat them for a quick lunch, or chop them up and throw them into a tomato pasta dish. I've bought the Heck Chicken Italia Sausages before, so was interested to see how these Heck Simply Chicken Chipolatas compared.
You get 10 in a pack and being chipolatas they are quite skinny, but I found there was still just enough to split between my family of four and make some sausage sandwiches for breakfast (with a few mushrooms thrown in to bulk it out). I fried the sausages in a little bit of oil and it took around 10 minutes for them to cook through. You can also grill them but I'd be mindful of putting them on the barbecue with them being so small.
With less fat than pork sausages, very little grease came out in the pan and that meant they didn't get quite such a crispy brown look you tend to expect from sausages. Remaining rather pale looking in places, they weren't quite as aesthetically pleasing as traditional sausages and a word of warning, they can burnt quite easily, so I'd suggest turning them often.
Flavour wise they have a subtle herby taste, certainly not overpowering, or anything the kids would be put off by and a nice saltiness to them as well. Despite being lower in fat, they still had a nice juicy, plump texture and to me they were just as meaty and fulfilling, especially once inside a sandwich with a bit of ketchup thrown in.
If you're a traditional sausage fan, these might not be the right choice for you, but if you're looking for a healthier alternative that still gives you a meaty fix, I'd recommend giving these a go.
Price: Around £3 to £3.20 depending on where you buy them
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: Most supermarkets including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda
Asda Plant Based Meat-Free Sausages
Before becoming a vegetarian 13 years ago, I didn't actually like pork sausages so never felt I was missing out with vegetable alternatives. I've always been a big fan of the 'bubble and squeak' style veggie sausages (they're delicious and I will die on that hill) as opposed to anything attempting to taste like meat, but as our tastes change so drastically over time, I was keen to give a faux meat version a try.
At my local Asda, its plant based range is pretty impressive. I love the vast selection of vegetarian and vegan options that are about these days and whether you're a meat eater or not, there's plenty that are well worth trying.
I picked up a pack of Asda's Plant Based Meat-Free Sausages, which are made with a blend of mushrooms - they even count as one of your five a day. They're perfectly salted, if a little bland, and though they're nowhere near as delicious as Richmond's veggie sausages, they're a decent enough alternative.
They're ideal in a pasta dish as I think they work better when they can absorb other flavours and ingredients. I would buy these again but they're certainly not my favourite.
Price: £2.35 for a pack of six
Rating: 3/5
Where to buy: Online or in store
Richmond 24 Thick Frozen Pork Sausages
Pork is just about the only red meat I'll eat and though its few and far between, it's hard to resist pork and bacon when they're on offer. I spotted this huge pack of Richmond sausages on a recent supermarket trip and thought they'd be a good freezer filler for the days I don't particularly fancy cooking.
The large bag meant I could keep them for a while and just try them when I fancy it, rather than deal with fresh sausages and have to rush to eat them before the use by date. I gave them a go this week and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious they were.
I popped a couple of sausages in the oven for 30 minutes as advised though I found they weren't cooked to my preference in that time. I kept the sausages in the oven for around five or six minutes extra and they turned out perfect - crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
They were somewhat greasy when taking them out of the oven but after soaking most of it up with kitchen roll, they didn't taste or feel greasy at all. The sausages were juicy, plump and luckily for me didn't taste too meaty at all.
Lash them on some toast, in a pasta dish or on a hot dog bun with some brown sauce and you're good to go. These should definitely be a go-to for anyone looking for traditional pork sausages.
Price: £2.50
Rating: 5/5
Where to buy: Most supermarkets including Heron, Iceland, Asda and more.
Asda Just Essentials 8 Pork Sausages
I’m never really too fussy with sausages, but do try to go for lower fat ones if I can. I’ve always got my sausages from Asda, because that’s where I do my weekly shop.
My usual pack of Asda Reduced Fat pork sausages cost around £1.50, but I do like Richmond sausages too, which cost £3.20 for a bag of 12. I thought it was time to try out the Asda Just Essentials range, and was particularly intrigued by their 96p pack of 8 sausages which I thought was a total bargain!
I’ll admit, I wasn’t expecting miracles with these sausages, and thought they looked quite tasteless and bland in the pack before cooking, but I was totally wrong. I cooked them on my grill and had them on a sandwich and I was so impressed. The sausages were really thick and had a subtle herby flavour to them which made them really tasty.
They still had that good crunch on them after being cooked on the grill, but they weren’t dry at all. The sausages on my sandwiches were really juicy and had a lot of flavour.
If I had to compare them to any sausage I’d definitely say Richmond, and for just 96p for a whopping 8 sausages, I’ll definitely be making the swap - they were delicious!
Price: 96p
Rating: 5/5
Where to buy: Your local Asda store or online
Morrisons Plant Revolution Meat Free Sausages
I've been a vegetarian for over three years, and in that time I've developed a love for the Linda McCartney red onion and rosemary sausages. Admittedly, I've never tried an own brand version before, so I decided to give Morrisons' offering a go. I picked up a pack of six herby sausages from the frozen section. The plant-based sausages consist of soya protein, onion and herb seasoning and are suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
I was really impressed with the sausages - they were full of flavour and you could definitely taste the herbs. I felt like they were a better texture to my usual branded option too, as they were less dry. I'd definitely buy these again.
Price: £1.75
Rating: 5/5
Where to buy: Your local Morrisons store or online
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