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Toad in the Hole

Toad in the Hole is a great British dish that originated in Yorkshire and became popular all over the country. It is also a pub game that is said to have come over from the continent in the 1920’s, or alternatively it could be a renamed and updated version of a much older pub game, called Penny in the hole.

In the pub game brass or rubber disks, called toads, are thrown from a distance of approximately eight feet onto a table with a with a hole in the middle. Two points are scored if the toad goes through the hole and one point for a toad that ends up resting on the table.

Toad in the Hole the dish, despite the name, has nothing whatsoever to do with cooking cute little, or even big ugly toads in a hole. It is instead, a hot and savoury comfort food, which consists of sausages cooked within a Yorkshire pudding that is traditional served with a few vegetables and rich onion gravy.

Toad in the Hole

Ingredients for batter

4oz of flour

½ a teaspoon of salt

1 egg

¼ pint of milk

¼ pint of water

Sausages

1lb of pork sausages

2 tablespoons of dripping

Gravy

2 medium onions

2 tablespoons of dripping

1 tablespoon of flour

¾ of a pint of beef stock

Method

Put flour and salt into a large bowl

Make a well in the centre and add the egg

Whisk and gradually ad the milk and water,

Make sure that you whisk in all of the flour

Continue to beat until the batter is smooth

Put batter to one side and leave for thirty minutes

When batter is nearly ready for use

Put two tablespoons of dripping into a small roasting pan

Set oven 425ºF, 220ºC, Gas mark 7,

Put roasting pan in oven until hot.

Place sausages into the hot fat

And return pan to oven for five minute.

Remove from oven pour batter over the sausages

Return to oven and cook for 40 minutes

until risen and golden brown

While it is cooking make your gravy

Peel and slice the onions

Put two tablespoons of dripping into a saucepan

Add sliced onions and cook slowly until soft

Stir in the tablespoon of flour and cook until lightly browned

Remove from heat and gradually add beef stock while stirring

Return to the heat, bring to the boil and then simmer for ten minutes

(If you prefer a thicker gravy use a little less stock)

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