Pigs In Blankets

Pigs in blankets have become synonymous with Christmas. It is estimated that over 128 million of this essential seasonal staple are eaten on Christmas day alone. Pigs in blankets even have their own national food day on Sunday 5th December.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pigs in blankets are thought to have originated from Czechoslovakia or Germany but first appeared in print in the Cooking for Kids cookbook, published by U.S food firm Betty Crocker in 1957.

Pigs in blankets are known as ‘Wesley Dogs’ in the US; ‘Würstchen im Schlafrock’ (sausage in a dressing gown) in Germany, where they are wrapped in pancake; ‘Moshe Ba’Teiva’ (Moses in the ark) in Israel; ‘kilted sausages’ in Scotland; and in Mexico, they are wrapped in tortilla and deep-fried.

In the US, where National Pigs in Blankets Day is held every year on April 24, pigs in blankets are more like gourmet hot dogs and are commonly wrapped in pastry (rather like small sausage rolls), served with a dipping sauce.

Everybody loves this traditional Christmas side dish and we've got a classic recipe below as well as two tasty twists including black pudding, butternut squash and chestnuts.

Ingredients

8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
16 chipolatas

Method

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cut the bacon rashers in half. Wrap a piece of bacon around each of the chipolatas.

You could consider dipping them in one of the following, before baking your wrapped sausages.

1 tbsp honey mixed with 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp sticky onion relish or marmalade mixed with a drop of soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp mango chutney and 1 tsp sesame or poppy seeds

Place on a baking tray and cook for 30-35 mins until golden.

WITH A TWIST

BLACK PUDDING-STUFFED DATES
Instead of sausages, fill 16 pitted dates with 50g black pudding. Wrap the stuffed dates with bacon and secure with a cocktail stick. Brush over 1 tsp wholegrain mustard mixed with 1 tsp brandy before roasting as per the recipe above.

BACON-WRAPPED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHESTNUTS
Instead of sausages, cut 100g peeled butternut squash into 16 chunks and boil for 5 mins, then drain and leave to steam-dry. Halve 8 marrons glacés (or 8 chestnuts if you can’t find them), and place each half on top of a chunk of squash. Wrap each bundle with a piece of bacon, then secure each one together with a cocktail stick before roasting as per the recipe above.