Faggots, Mash and Veg with Fruit and Yogurt for Pudding

Tonight we are having Faggots with mash and Vegetables.
See the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faggot_(food))

My other half wants pasta as he seems to think they are like meatballs, (Eh?!) but I'm having the traditional potato mash and veg.

We are also having blueberry and apples with yogurt and toasted oat topping for pudding. (As the blackberries I had originally planned to use are canned and the blueberries are fresh and will go off, I am going to use the blueberries. I toast the oats in a frying pan with a little frylight and sugar.)

I'm cheating today and using Mr Brains Faggots in place of making my own. I'm saving up for a mincer though so hopefully I'll be able to make my own soon. You can pick up homemade ones directly from the local butcher sometimes if you'd rather not do it yourself, or you can use supermarket bought Mr Brains Faggots as a alternative, but please be aware they don't have all the traditonal ingredients and contain a lot of salt. It's entirely up to your own taste though, I'm just using pre-packaged as I didn't get to the butchers in time to buy ready made.

I personally always advise buying from the local butchers (whether you are getting the ingredients to make faggots, faggots ready made or any other meat products,) thereby supporting your local butcher/farmers.

If you have a mincer and want to make your own, one version of the traditional recipe is:

Traditional Faggots:

Ingredients
1 pint Tepid Water
3 oz Breadcrumb
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 egg beaten
1 Pigs heart
1 lb Pigs liver or (mixture of liver & lights)
8 oz Belly pork
Bacon scraps
Pigs Caul
2 Onions
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:
Basically you pop all the meat through the mincer and pop it in a bowl. Add the other ingredients, stir, then shape, wrap in Pigs Caul put on a plate and chill in the fridge for an hour. Then place them on a baking tray. Spray with oil and Cook on gas mark 6/7 for 40 minutes. Make up some gravy, you can even make onion gravy if you want. Take the faggots out of the oven and serve with the gravy and vegetables.

Here is the nutritional information and further description from a pack of Mr Brains Faggots if you want to buy pre-packaged;

Mr Brains Faggots - Pork faggots in a West Country sauce.

Rich & tasty. A firm family favourite since 1925.

Herbert Hill Brain, a butcher from Bristol, first started making heart warming family meals in 1925. With their unique West Country Sauce, the dishes soon grew in popularity to become firm family favourites across the country. Today, the same passion and love goes in to creating each dish as Mr. Brain's continues to provide tasty meals for families both large and small.

Ingredients:
West Country Sauce (62%) contains: Water, Lard, Wheat Flour, Modified Maize Starch, Tomato Puree, Salt, Colour (E150c), Yeast Extract, Sugar, Onion Flavour, Spice & Herb Extracts (Celery),Pork Faggots (38%) contains: Water, Rusks, Rehydrated Pork Rind, Pork Liver (15%), Onion, Pork (4%), Pork Fat, Wheat Flour, Salt, Sage, Spice Extracts

Allergy Information:

Contains: Celery, Gluten, Wheat

May Contain: Soya\Soybeans

Per 238g serving cooked:
Calories: 241

Sugar: 3g

Fat: 10g

Saturates:4g

Salt: 4.0g

These are very high in salt (one serving has 67% of your GDA) but whichever you choose to use is entirely up to you.

After this time I will be buying ready made from my butcher (until I have a mincer).
When I do get a mincer and I make my own, I will post the results and recipe again for you. :D