Plum Jam Sausage Rolls with Cheddar & Sage
BLAISDON RED PLUM JAM™ CHEDDAR & SAGE SAUSAGE ROLLS
These deeply savoury sausage rolls combine crisp all-butter puff pastry with seasoned pork, mature Cheddar, fresh sage and a narrow ribbon of The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™. The plum brings fruit, acidity and a gentle sweetness that cuts through the richness of the pork and cheese rather than making the sausage rolls taste sweet.
Plum jam works extremely well in savoury sausage rolls when it is used with restraint. The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ has enough rich plum character and natural acidity to stand up to pork and mature Cheddar. A thin layer inside the pastry gives the finished sausage roll a clear fruit note without making the filling wet or overly sweet.
Prep
20 minutes
Chill
15 minutes
Bake
25–30 minutes
Makes
8 sausage rolls
Difficulty
Easy
Why Plum, Pork, Cheddar and Sage Work Together
Pork sausage meat needs something to relieve its richness. Blaisdon Red Plum Jam does that particularly well because the fruit has a naturally lively acidity alongside its deeper cooked-plum flavour. Rather than simply adding sweetness, it gives the filling a brighter finish.
Mature Cheddar adds savoury depth and a slight sharpness of its own, while sage has enough aromatic character to sit comfortably beside both pork and plum. The result should taste first of a very good sausage roll, followed by a distinct but balanced note of fruit.
The amount of jam is important. Too much will make the pastry difficult to seal and can dominate the filling. A narrow ribbon is enough: it melts into the sausage as the rolls bake and gives pockets of glossy plum flavour through the centre.
Ingredients
- 1 × 320g sheet all-butter puff pastry, chilled
- 450g good-quality pork sausage meat
- 75g mature Cheddar, finely grated
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3–4 tbsp The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
Method
1. Put the sausage meat into a bowl with the grated Cheddar, Dijon mustard, chopped sage and a generous grinding of black pepper. Mix gently until everything is evenly distributed, taking care not to overwork the meat.
2. Unroll the cold puff pastry and cut it in half lengthways to make two long rectangles.
3. Divide the sausage mixture into two. With lightly dampened hands, shape each half into a long, even sausage approximately the same length as the pastry.
4. Spoon a narrow line of The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ along each piece of pastry. Keep the layer quite thin and leave plenty of clean pastry around the edges for sealing.
5. Place a sausage-meat roll directly over each line of jam. Brush one long edge of each pastry strip lightly with beaten egg, then bring the pastry over the filling and roll firmly to enclose it. Place each roll seam-side down.
6. Transfer the two long rolls to a tray and chill for 15 minutes. This firms the pastry and makes the sausage rolls easier to cut cleanly.
7. Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
8. Cut each chilled roll into four equal pieces. Arrange them on the prepared tray with a little space between each one. Brush generously with beaten egg and make two or three shallow diagonal cuts across the top of each sausage roll.
9. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden, crisp and well risen and the sausage meat is completely cooked through. If checking with a thermometer, the centre of the filling should reach at least 75°C.
10. Leave the sausage rolls to rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. They are excellent warm, but the plum flavour becomes even more apparent as they cool slightly.
Keep the jam in a narrow line beneath the sausage meat rather than spreading it over the whole sheet of pastry. You want to taste the Blaisdon Red clearly, but the pastry still needs to seal and bake crisp. Mature Cheddar is useful here because its savoury sharpness gives the plum something substantial to work against.
Why Blaisdon Red Plum Jam Works in Savoury Cooking
Blaisdon Red is a Gloucestershire heritage plum particularly valued for preserving. Beneath its red-purple skin the fresh fruit has golden flesh, but cooking transforms it into a deeply coloured preserve with rich plum character and lively acidity.
I have been making The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ commercially in Gloucester since 2013. Over those years I have come to value the fruit not simply for its colour, but for the way its acidity allows the finished jam to work with savoury ingredients as confidently as it does with toast, cakes or pastries.
That is particularly useful with cheese and richer meats. The fruit provides contrast, while the deeper plum flavour is robust enough not to disappear beside mature Cheddar, pork, sage or mustard.
Read more about the Blaisdon Red Plum and its Gloucestershire heritage.
You can also explore Gloucestershire’s rare and heritage plum varieties.
Plum Jam Sausage Roll Questions
Can You Put Plum Jam in Sausage Rolls?
Yes. Plum jam works particularly well with pork sausage meat because fruit acidity and sweetness contrast with the richness of the meat. Use a relatively thin layer so the flavour remains balanced and the pastry stays crisp.
What Cheese Goes Well with Plum Jam?
Mature Cheddar is an excellent partner because its savoury, slightly sharp character balances the fruit. Plum preserves also work well alongside many British hard and blue cheeses when served as part of a cheese board.
Why Does Blaisdon Red Plum Jam Work with Pork?
Blaisdon Red has rich cooked-plum flavour as well as useful natural acidity. In a pork recipe, that acidity helps cut through fat while the fruit adds depth and contrast. The aim is balance rather than noticeable sweetness.
Can I Make These Sausage Rolls Ahead?
Yes. Assemble the sausage rolls, place them on a covered tray and refrigerate before baking. Brush with egg shortly before they go into the oven. They are best baked while the pastry is thoroughly chilled.
Can I Serve Them Cold?
Yes. They are good warm from the oven, but they also work well served at room temperature for picnics, lunches or a buffet. Allow cooked sausage rolls to cool properly and store them refrigerated if they are not being eaten promptly.
The Artisan Kitchen Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™
A multiple Great Taste award-winning plum jam made by The Artisan Kitchen in Gloucestershire using Blaisdon Red plums sourced in the county when the crop is available. Its rich plum flavour and natural acidity make it particularly useful with cheese, pastry and savoury dishes as well as traditional breakfast baking.
Chef Sarah Churchill
Sarah Churchill is the chef and founder of The Artisan Kitchen. She has worked professionally with seasonal ingredients throughout her career and has been making handmade jams and marmalades in Gloucestershire since founding The Artisan Kitchen in 2011.
Blaisdon Red Plum Jam™ is a trade mark of The Artisan Kitchen.
