Braised Bangers and Cabbage

I was so excited to learn earlier this month that Heck Sausages are now available at Asda. You may remember me getting to try them last year and we fell right in love with them. So happy that I can now buy them closer to our home. (Asda is the UK's version of Walmart.)

They only have the two flavours at the moment, the meaty ones and the apple ones, but hopefully they will add more as time goes on. In any case I picked up a package of each when we were there the other day. They are just so good, I could not resist! Today I used the apple ones in a delicious stove top braise.

I also had a small cabbage which needed using up, what they call a white cabbage over here, but back home we just called it cabbage. I browned the sausage and then added thinly shredded cabbage to the pan, and allowed it to wilt slightly before adding some thyme and apple juice, popped on a lid and let it bubble away.

After about 20 minutes or so, I removed the cabbage and kept it warm, whilst I finished cooking the sauces in the pan juices, until they were golden brown all over and lightly glazed with the juices. A couple of them served hot on top of that lovely cabbage and along side some carrots and some of this spring's Jersey Royal potatoes made for a simple, yet beautiful supper. Delicious!

*Braised Bangers and Cabbage*Serves 4

Easy and delicious. This is a meal that cooks itself.

• 8 good quality thick and meaty sausages225ml of cloudy Apple juice (1 cup)2 TBS runny honey1/2 tsp dried thyme
• salt and black pepper
• 1 small cabbage, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
• a knob of butter

Melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold your sausages and the cabbage. (You will need one with a lid.) Once the butter begins to foam, add the sausages. Brown over medium heat on first one side, and then the other. Once they are browned, remove and set aside. Add the sliced cabbage. Cook and stir over medium heat just until it begins to wilt., Return the sausages to the skillet, tucking them in amongst the cabbage. Sprinkle all with the thyme. Drizzle with the honey and pour over the apple juice. Cover tightly and turn to low. Braise for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and scoop out the cabbage. Cover and keep warm. Turn up the heat under the skillet and continue to cook the sausages, as the liquid bubbles away, turning them occasionally, until they are nicely glazed and the pan has some nice thick juices in it. Divide the sausages and cabbage amongst 4 heated plates and drizzle with some of those scrummy pan drippings.

Potatoes go very well with this, either steamed new potatoes or mash. It's up to you!

You could have some applesauce on the side with this, but I like mine with a good grainy mustard!