Glamorgan Sausage: Traditional Vegetarian Recipe + Vegan Version

Simple, full of flavor, and vegetarian, consider making Glamorgan sausages for meat-free nibbles or a mid-week dinner. No special kitchen equipment is required!

Glamorgan sausages come from Wales: a small, mountainous country that is part of the United Kingdom. The origins of the Glamorgan sausage are unknown, but early recipes seem to have contained pork meat. The vegetarian staple became more popular during the meat shortages and rationing of the Second World War.

These days a Glamorgan sausages are most traditionally made from leeks, breadcrumbs, and sharp, crumbly cheese, with eggs, herbs, and spices. They can be pan-fried or cooked in the oven. You could even use up some old, stale bread for the breadcrumbs to be more sustainable and less wasteful.

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Selecting Sustainable Ingredients

Any vegetarian sausage recipe will have less of an environmental impact than a meaty counterpart, but traditional Glamorgan sausages contain dairy in a few forms. In order to reduce the impact on the environment and to ensure good animal welfare, there are a few things you should keep in mind when out grocery shopping.

• Traditional recipes fry the leeks in butter, which is the third most climate-damaging food creating nearly twelve kilograms of climate change, causing greenhouse gasses per kilogram of butter produced. Considering the Glamorgan sausage will also include cheese, why not substitute the butter for local, cold-pressed sunflower oil or organic plant-based margarine. If you want to use dairy butter, make sure that it is organic. Locally produced dairy and butter will also reduce the carbon footprint in its transportation.
• Cheese also has a damaging effect on the environment, and potentially the animals involved in the process. When selecting your cheese, always choose organic, and local. Mild cheese often requires more of it in a recipe to be able to taste it. Opt for a stronger, sharper cheese to reduce the amount needed per serving. This recipe uses less than one ounce (around the same serving as a slice of cheese) per sausage. Also, be sure to read the label carefully as not all cheeses are vegetarian-friendly.
• Eggs are used to bind all the ingredients together into a sausage shape. Choose farm-fresh, pasture-range, and organic eggs as standard. Factory farming is a disaster for the environment and the animals. Buy from your local farmer’s market if possible. You could also switch out the egg for a vegan egg substitute like flaxseed to help bind the sausage mixture together.
• Milk is also often used in Glamorgan sausage recipes. This can be easily substituted for plant-based alternatives, and we recommend oat milk due to its low level of emissions.

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Traditional Glamorgan Sausage

Glamorgan sausages are crisp on the outside, and soft and cheesy on the inside. Many recipes suggest a Welsh Caerphilly cheese, which is a crumbly, mild-yet sharp, and slightly creamy cow’s cheese. It can be quite hard to find, so you could replace it with Wensleydale, or sharp cheddar cheese instead. Crumbly aged-feta could also work in a pinch. 

As always, we recommend using organic and local ingredients wherever possible.

Makes 8 Sausages

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp organic butter, vegan margarine, or sunflower oil
• 1 large leek, washed and thinly sliced
• a pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1½ cups breadcrumbs 
• 2 farm fresh, organic eggs
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, washed and chopped
• 1½ tsp hot or wholegrain mustard
• 4 oz organic sharp cheddar (or other sharp vegetarian cheese), grated or crumbled
• 4 tbsp homemade oat milk
• 3 tbsp. flour

Instructions:

1. Add the oil/vegan butter to a skillet on medium heat. Add the leeks, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and fry until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat.
2. Place half of the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs the thyme, mustard, cheese, cooked leeks, and 2 tablespoons of the oat milk. Mix well and season with a little more pepper.
3. Using your hands, shape the mixture into 8 sausages. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
4. Set up a coating station. You will need three shallow bowls. One for the flour, one for the remaining oat milk, and one for the remaining breadcrumbs. Coat each sausage in the flour, then in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs. 
5. Pan fry in the skillet until hot on the inside and crisp on the outside, or bake in the oven (there is no need to preheat) for 20 minutes at 450F/230C.

Serve immediately. They go really well with a little vegan sriracha mayo

These vegetarian sausages also freeze well for up to 3 months. Make sure to use a freezer-safe, lidded container and cook until piping hot before serving.

Vegan Glamorgan Sausages

If you are on the lookout for more vegan sausage options, look no further than our veggie and vegan sausage recipe. With a vital wheat gluten base, it is high in protein and very easy to alter for a variety of flavors, including a vegan Glamorgan sausage-inspired version. The leek and cheese make for a lovely combination, and because it is made from seitan instead of breadcrumbs, the structure is more firm and therefore more suitable for grilling.

• Use a small leek instead of the onion.
• Fry in vegan butter instead of oil.
• Use vegan cheddar or homemade vegan feta instead of chickpeas. 
• Use 1 tsp. each of parsley and thyme.
• Omit the smoked paprika and tomato paste.

Read more:

• Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese: It Doesn’t Get Any Creamier
• What is Seitan? General Information and Nutritional Facts
• Herbs to Plant Together: Companion Planting with Herbs

Tags: Guide Recipes Vegetarian