Friday 7 May 2010

Sausages

Anyone remember that little Yorkshire terrier on "That's Life" (I think) who could say "Sausages"??

Anyway, that's by the by for now.

Went to the British Consul General's pad last night for drinks, British nibbles and election watching. Quite a good evening as they had Twiglets in bowls, and Salt N' Vinegar Hoola Hoops. (I'm a gal of simple tastes.) 

The Consul General said a few words and then I spoke to him a bit later. Very nice, down to earth Manchester lad, which surprised me a bit. One of his staff, the CEO of something was then introduced to me as a fellow Geordie. Actually, he confessed to being from Alnwick which is a beautiful place far, far up north, but the Geordie claim was a bit of a stretch. He did go to Northumbria Uni though, so perhaps we'll allow him "guest" status.

By far the most exciting person I met was a young chap called Nicholas Spencer, who recently left the world of finance to start a company here in Chicago, producing "Jolly Posh British and Irish Style Foods". In other words - decent sausages!!! Yes! Finally.  He had even supplied the bite size sausage rolls for the evening and they were very good.

Even better however, is that he lives about an eighth of a mile from me and he's going to be selling his food at the local farmer's market starting NEXT WEEK.

You have to be a Brit abroad to understand my excitement.  You can buy sausages here but they come in strange flavo(u)rs like chicken and rosemary, or they have cheese in them.  What?? Or they're just little "breakfast links" - teeny, skinny sausages which are a bit too spicey for my liking.  Also, I'm told by Nicholas, the larger stores want their sausages to have a shelf life of about 45 days, which doesn't make for the most enticing sausage.

I will report back once I have had the chance to sample his wares, so to speak. You can visit his web site at Spencer's.

(PS. I received nothing whatsoever in return for mentioning Spencer's company. I just wanted the world to share my joy!)

.

21 comments:

  1. LOL...sausages!!!! makes me laugh even now...SHeena easton too!!all that hoovering!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You and Nappy Valley Girl, both obsessing about sausages today. Now that I'm back in Britain I shall eat them tonight because I can. Hooray for the banger!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastic! And no, you dont actually have to be a Brit to understand the joy of discovering British sausages right next door (in the US)--British sausages are something i would miss very much in the States. My favourites are Cumberland Chipolatas...mmmm...

    I used to live in Alnwick and I remember they all called themselves Geordies. I guess I always assumed that Newcastle north to the Border is all Geordie land--interesting to get your take on it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great minds think alike on Election Night!

    Can you persuade him to come to the farmers' markets on Long Island?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I remember the dog - and any way you can persuade Spencer's to set up in Moscow? No?

    Blast.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, having spent a fair bit of time in the US with Big G's family I know exactly what you mean about the quirks and limitations of the American sausage market. Well done for finding some British ones!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I completely understand your excitement. I've been so thrilled to find a few of my favorite things in an Australian store of all places. Aunt Jemima maple syrup with butter. It's the small things that bring the true joy...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi, Expat Mum!

    Mmmm sausages! So yummy on the grill! Dropping by to let you know that you've won a blogger award! You can claim it at: http://americangirlinbristol.blogspot.com/2010/05/honest-scrap-award.html

    I hope you enjoy the award and that you have a great weekend. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was such a sausage and chocolate tragic when I lived in Rye, NY, I used to haunt the local Irish shop in search of my next fix of chocolate buttons and a packet of sausages. Fortunately the Australians are chocolate masters and produce all kinds of Cadbury variations so I am a happier and tubbier bunny.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lack of sausages over here in Singapore as well.....mmmmm.....sausages......

    ReplyDelete
  11. Can he do bacon too? Oh for a decent bacon sandwich.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello! My first time stopping by here to comment and I will be back to visit as you are living in my old neck of the woods, the Midwest. There are many things you have there that I wish I had access to about now. However I agree with you on American sausages. I never cared for them so it took me a long time to try British sausages. I must admit they are quite good, anytime of day. (Must have been a long party if you are still waiting for the election results:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. As a Brit in Bangkok, I am jealous... You are a very lucky woman.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I do remember Esther Rantzen's little terrier saying *sausages* on *That;s Life*
    I have heard OUR sausages are unique.
    Pity I am vegetarian!
    Maggie

    Nuts in May

    ReplyDelete
  15. Even more exciting, there's a well known meat market not too far from me (on the way to son's baseball) which, I am told, now sells English bacon.
    Oh joy!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Understand the excitement completely! I love, love, love sausages, but here in Bahrain pork is obviously a big no-no, and when you can get decent bangers (in the special non-Muslim pork room) they are about twice the price of fillet steak. And I'm sorry, but chicken, turkey and beef sausages are just revolting.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nope. Nope. Nope. All the excitement about sausages is not understandable for me. Which is funny, because I am an Austrian who grew up in Germany. I am supposed to love sausages, but they are just not doing it for me.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, I'm not even British and I so get that. I used to live in Britain and my Scottish husband and I miss proper British sausages in Belgium. They do taste extra good when we go over, though, so we've decided not to try and find any over here. You probably don't get back to the uk as often as us obviously.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I was just thinking yesterday, that it may not be a good thing to have found decent sausages as they're not exactly the best things to eat so often. We go to England every summer so I allow myself sausages and the odd meal of fish and chips, but I wouldn't do that on a regular basis.
    Met Mum - ah, but they have to be English sausages!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I remember that "That's Life" dog. Ah, what an innocent age, that prime time tv could be dominated by a dog who could say "sausages".

    ReplyDelete
  21. Very excited about the sausages! Can't wait to check them out.

    ReplyDelete

The more the merrier....

Blog Archive