Cumberland sausage with cider and blackberry’s

Now if you can get the big Cumberland sausage rings this is perfect for that . if not just use a pack of good quality sausages.  Also this is one of my favourite ways of cooking sausages in an oven in a dish that makes its own sort of gravy. All you need with this is some  good mashed potatoes to go with it .

You will need

1 x 750g/1½lb Cumberland sausages

3 tbsp olive oil

150ml/5floz cider

100g/3oz blackberrys

2 garlic cloves

4 red onions

Some fresh rosemary

Fresh sage leaves

Fresh thyme

150ml/5floz chicken stock

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Salt freshly ground black pepper to taste

Now if you are using a sausage ring then use two large metal skewers diagonally through the sausage to keep it in place during cooking. Now slice the onions and lay then in a roasting dish.  Crush the garlic and chop the rosemary, sage and thyme. Throw in the blackberry’s and top up with the chicken stock and cider. Then lay your sausage on top and just pop it into a hot oven and let it cook. 

As the sausages cook most of the liquid will evaporate and the sausages herbs and sweetness of the blackberries will combine to give a really rich onion base to this dish.  Once almost all the liquid has gone and you have rich gravy the dish is ready.

Just take out the sausages and give the rich onion gravy and stir, place the sausages on the mashed potatoes and spoon some of the gravy over the top.