Crazy...

This one is off the scale. Just purchased what I thought was a standard saussie roll from the caff at EIT Taradale and it turns out to be a...

CHICKEN SAUSAGE ROLL:

Who are these people who think they can mess with our heads? Chicken?

I ate it.

Flavour - it tasted like chicken

Meat-to-pastry ratio - is chicken a real meat?

Real food value - it's chicken!

Presentation - chicken in a sausage roll?

Cost - can't recall - my memory has been erased by the shock

Overall satisfaction - I'm freaked out

Cafe 287 Wairoa

Cafe 287 just out of Wairoa is a nice place to stop on the way to Napier. The coffee is good and the sausage roll, made on the premises, is delicious. The only downer is that the microwaving leaves the crust a bit limp. But the filling more than makes up for this minor minus. The cost of $2.50 is reasonable considering the quality. Highly recommended.

Hey Smosh - you should try this one on the way back from wherever you are.

Flavour - 5

Meat-to-pastry ratio - 5

Real food value - 5

Presentation - 5

Cost - 4

Overall satisfaction - 4

Long Live the Sausage Roll - It's back at The Hub

First some history. The cafe at the poly used to have the best sausage rolls in the known universe - perfect form factor and flavour. And at $1.60 the perfect price for a morning tea/smoko snack.

Then the cafe was renovated and new owners took over and the awesomeness disappeared. The staff changed, the decor changed, the owners moved on. Some said the rolls came from local supplier, some just shook their heads and empathised with us about the loss. I couldn't find anyone who knew where the sausage rolls originated. It is a mystery that has never been solved.

I thought the day would never come.

There's a new champ in town...

Simple. Perfect.

This little beauty costs $2 and is sensational. It's just appeared in The Hub cafe without any notice or fanfare. There they are sitting in the pie warmer at perfect temperature, baked to perfection. Nothing much else to say except that the bar has been set.

This will be the smoko snack for now until something better comes along. You could suggest that this is the last time we need to review a sausage roll but the catering students will try their best to replicate this masterpiece and we'll be there to review them - someone has to do it.

5 - flavour
5 - meat-to-pastry ratio
4 - real food value
5 - presentation
5 - cost
5 - overall satisfaction

Smosh says:

Scott was very ecstatic earlier this afternoon. A new sausage roll was on offer at The Hub. I greeted this pronouncement with some disdain as I had seen their earlier contributions to the smoko room. Well it's all for science so off I trudged. It was worth the effort let me tell you that!

This sausage roll was at a perfect "shove it in your mouth" temperature. Golden, flaky pastry. It was $2 (about right but could possibly be a little cheaper?) and was gone in 4 mouthfuls. About right for me who isn't a big eater.

5 - flavour
5 - meat-to-pastry ratio
4 - real food value
5 - presentation
4 - cost
5 - overall satisfaction

Total: 28/30

Oslers (Wairoa) Sausage Roll

Oslers are famous on the coast for their brilliant pies and other baked goods. The sausage roll is the poor cousin to their pie but Oslers do a great job. I travel though Wairoa a fair bit and often stop at Oslers for a coffee and/or food so thought it was time to report on their version of the sossie roll.

Action shot with the Wairoa River in the background.

As you can see he's a biggie - the classic kiwi form factor. But the Oslers crew have made it special with some great work on the filling including excellent food value - look at those onion pieces...

At $2.70 (I think) this is pretty good value. They also have a giant sausage roll for those of you with no self-control.

Delicious.

5 - flavour

4 - meat-to-pastry ratio - I'm still to be convinced about the kiwi form factor.

5 - real food value

4 - presentation

4 - cost

4 - overall satisfaction

Cooking Students Make Some Sausage Roll Magic

We missed posting this when it happened earlier in the year. Sorry about that. But here it is.

This was awesome. We mentioned our blog project to one of our catering tutors and she thought it was a great idea. She decided she would get her students to make sausage rolls and we would review them. So here are the results.

We couldn't really pick a winner. They were all so good. But we do make a special mention of ASW for a great balanced roll. Plenty of onion bits in there to increase food value. We should also mention the roll with tomato sauce wrapped in with the filling. Talk about innovation.

There was a range of configurations all the way from my favourite thin, balanced pastry-to-filling ratio goodness to the Kiwi style fat bastard.

Well done guys and thanks for the feed!

Check out the pics:

Here is Team Sausage Roll with the platter of delights.

Smosh tucks in.

Excellent gourmet filling - and look at that pastry!

Highly commended. No clear winner - you're all legends!

Mrs Macs Giant Sausage Disappointment

I've been looking at this one for a while in our caf. It looked like it would have a great pastry-to-filling ratio (it does) and the pastry looked flaky (it is).

So today I relented and splurged the $3.50 - yes - three dollars fifty - for a sausage roll. It just didn't have that three-dollar-fifty taste or quality. The pastry was bland and the filling even more bland and mushy.

The packaging says it's made in Australia - WTF? Who imports sausage rolls?

I ate it.

But - Smosh - don't do it - save your $3.50!

2 - flavour

4 - meat-to-pastry ratio

2 - real food value

4 - presentation

1 - cost

1 - overall satisfaction

Random Morning-Tea Sausage Roll

This one is a bit random. We were provided with a morning tea today and sausage rolls were on the menu. A good opportunity to evaluate. However, the caterer (Roseland Tavern) is based in a village outside town and we're not sure if they are only supplied for catering. As such they cannot be considered within the scope of the SRP.

The scientific approach - ruler included.

A nice plate of deliciousness

Scott
Nice sausage roll. Really good moist texture and excellent pastry-to-meat ratio for a short form factor roll. With sesame seeds on top and flaky pastry this one is a winner for me. The only negative would be slightly too salty. What a shame these aren't sold in town.

Smosh

The Hub Cafe Sausage Roll

 

Plastic wrapper...?

 

Standard filling

Scott
3 - flavour was OK. Standard filling.

2 - meat-to-pastry ratio - way too much filling. A common problem with the Kiwi style sausage roll. The standard filling is pretty average so why not mask it with a decent amount of pastry?

3 - real food value was blah.
4 - presentation was good despite being presented in plastic bag. Pretty crispy pastry but what's with the chees on top? Where did this trend emerge?
2 - cost - at $3.50 this is too expensive.
2 - overall satisfaction. Couldn't finish it. Will try again sometime. If you know the person who decided putting cheese on a sausage roll was a good idea give them a slap. Apparently The Hub sells a smaller version sausage roll but they sell out quickly. We will persist and report. This one however is not a contender.
I am really dissapointed about this development as the old cafeteria here had the best sauasage rolls ever. In fact those sausage rolls inspired this blog. And now they're gone. I'll have a word with the management.

Smosh?

Overall: 16/30

The Deli Monster

This is the bad boy

Look at that chunky filling...

Scott

5 - flavour was a treat. Deli quality from our mate Darryn Klein - master butcher and generally nice bloke.

4 - meat-to-pastry ratio was off the scale. As you can see this is meat with an afterthought of pastry. But still delicious.

5 - real food value. Real meat. Chunky. A meal.

4 - presentation was good. Microwaved but then placed in the panini toaster to smarten up the pastry. Nice touch. 

4 - cost was in line with the meal value. $4.00 is OK with me.

5 - overall satisfaction. Sensational deli quality original recipe meat filling. The pastry is probably made there too (I'll ask Darryn next time I see him). I wish they were available all the time. Keep an eye out for this little beauty next time you're getting a coffee.

Overall: 27/30

Smosh?

Day Z

Today we tried the 'Gourmet Sausage Roll' from the Z Service Station (Shell Midway), Gisborne. The 'Gourmet' in the title apparently due to some grilled cheese on top. However...

Scott:

3 Flavour - OK but it was a bit dry.
3 Meat-to-pastry ratio - I'm not a big fan of the short form factor - but it was a bit better than most.
3 Real food value - no evidence of vegetable. Some cheese in the filling which was surprising.
4 Presentation - from the warming oven, crisp and flaky. Left a good mess of flakes on the table and down the shirt.
2 Cost - $2.90 - too expensive.
3 Overall satisfaction - strange one. Bit dry but also had bit of the 'fat on the roof of your mouth' feel.


Smosh:
2 Flavour I didn't like this. Was dry.
3 Meat-to-pastry ratio - I'm not a fan of the short, fat sausage rolls. 
3 Real food value - bit of onion and cheese.
4 Presentation  - Gold, flaky pastry.
2 Cost $2.90 expensive.
2 Overall satisfaction - I didn't eat all of mine.

Overall score: 34

McSausage Roll

First cab off the rank is the sausage roll from McCafe Gisborne, NZ.

Scott:

4 Flavour - nice
5 Meat-to-pastry ratio - not too much meat and the long form factor
3 Real food value - no evidence of vegetable
2 Presentation - microwaved... hmmm
3 Cost - $2.50 - little bit expensive
4 Overall satisfaction


Smosh:
4 Flavour - tasty
5 Meat-to-pastry ratio - Long and thin. The way they should be. Easy bitefulls.
2 Real food value - no "real" food to speak off.
3 Presentation - Looked nice but a bit soggy after having been microwaved.
3 Cost - $2.50 seems about standard to me.
4 Overall satisfaction - a decent sausage roll.

Overall score: 42/60