Tesco Value Thick Sausages > Reviews (4)

TESCO VALUE THICK SAUSAGES

I really should learn my lesson and not allow my husband out shopping on his own.
The results of his shopping trips usually result in him buying either the dearest item in the shop or the worst item in the shop; I find it very difficult to comprehend his shopping values.

A few weeks ago, expecting a sudden burst of good weather we were planning a barbecue (just for a change), I normally have a large bag of Richmond sausages in the freezer; I find them perfect for on the barbecue. Having run out I asked my husband to pick me up another bag on a trip to Tesco.

Unfortunately Tesco didn't have the 2lb bags of Richmond sausages in, so, for some reason known only to him, he picked up 4 packs of Tesco Value Sausages, we was very proud of getting 32 thick sausages for less than £2.00, I was less sure.

I put three packs in the freezer and used the other packet on our barbecue.
There is, I know, a school of thought that that the cheaper sausages with a high fat value are best for barbecuing.

I beg to differ, and for the amount of barbecues we have in a year I count myself something of an expert on cooking on the barbecue.
I find that any high fat sausages or burgers create far too much of a flame and burn the outsides before the insides are cooked properly.

The sausage meat had a shocking taste, without onions and mustard they would have been inedible, I thought that they tasted more fishy than meaty. As for the consistency - although thoroughly cooked - was greasy and sloppy - I tried to cut one for my granddaughter and it was more spreadable that cuttable.

So that was the barbecue test, I still had three packets of these sausages in my freezer, hating waste I didn't want to throw them away. I don't own a dog and I don't think my hamster and tortoise would enjoy them so I tried a few ways of using them up.

PICTURE INCLUDED

THE OVEN BAKED TEST

I tried cooking the sausages on a grill rack to drain off the fat.
When cooked they didn't look too bad, but the inside was still sloppy and the sausages needed plenty of brown sauce on to make a half decent 'sausage butty'.

PICTURE INCLUDED

THE SCOTCH EGG TEST

I skinned a pack of the sausages, and mixed the (very wet) sausage meat with some grated onion (I would have used onion salt but I thought that there was already too much salt in it), ground black pepper and mixed herbs.
I pressed the mixture around four hard boiled eggs and rolled in breadcrumbs.

I baked these on a grill tray to drain away the excess fat and to be honest they weren't too bad - far better than the barbecued sausages. It was amazing how much fat came out of the sausages.
I certainly wouldn't recommend deep-frying them.

PICTURE INCLUDED

THE SAUSAGE CASSEROLE TEST

I cooked another pack in a sausage casserole with tinned tomatoes, chopped onions, sliced carrots and plenty of herbs.
This wasn't too bad but the sausages did mean that the sauce had quite a greasy feel to it.

INGREDIENTS & NUTRITION

When I checked the ingredients I realised that there was no surprise for the lack of taste, and certainly the lack of the taste of meat as there is only 40% of meat in them.

EU Pork (40%), Water, Rusk, Wheat Starch, Pork Fat, Wheat Protein, Salt, Stabilisers (Tetrasodium Diphosphate, Disodium Diphosphate), Dextrose, Wheat Flour, Yeast Extract, Preservative (Sodium Metabisulphite), Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Spice Extracts, Dried Herb (Marjoram), Sage Extract, Filled Into Beef Collagen Casings.

That hardly reads as a tasty recipe does it?

By law, sausages need to contain only a minimum of 40 per cent meat, but "pork" can constitute up to 30 per cent fat and 25 per cent connective tissue and still be described as meat . Connective tissue can be fat, skin and gristle.

Sausages can also contain pork cheek and jowl, home to the pituitary glands, where drug residue and disease are concentrated. (which I fear is what was in what Tesco's laughably called 'sausages').

With these cheap sausages, pork fat or lard can be added to the mix along with pork rind to raise the claimed meat content. When you think that added to this unappetising 'meat' content is a cocktail of chemical preservatives and flavour enhancers, it does make you think is cheap worth it?

To make a a good sausage the butcher will use 80 per cent pork belly and shoulder, 10 per cent breadcrumbs, five per cent water and five per cent herbs and spices, plus salt.

I for one would prefer one good sausage to a plateful of cheap ones.

As for nutrition, 2 sausages give 245 calories and 5.8g saturated fat - which equates to 5 WW points, so not so good. There is also quite a hefty 1.5g salt in two sausages.

IN CONCLUSION

I certainly wouldn't buy these sausages again or recommend any one else to.
There are plenty of the Value, Smart Price etc products which are very good and can save us consumers some money, but I would certainly steer clear of these sausages, even at 48p a pack.

I'm only giving them one star because I've got to!