Cumberland Sausage and Sticky Toffee Pudding

When we know we are coming up to Cumbria on holiday, the first thing I think of is the delicious Cumberland Sausages that they make here and of course, Sticky Toffee Pudding!

Oh yes, I can get Cumberland Sausage where I live, and they are quite good, but . . . and this is a big but . . . they are a tad bit different up here in Cumbria where they hail from.



The ones we actually buy here taste even better . . . I know, that is wierd. They are spicier and have a very unique deep reddish pink interior. I tried to take a picture of the insides, but it didn't turn out all that well . . .



It's kind of blurry, but I think you can still see how pink it is. When I first cooked them, I thought they hadn't cooked through . . . but have come to learn that the pink/red colour of their insides is quite normal.

Cumberland sausage is incredibly important to the culture and people of Cumbria. It has been a staple for 500 years and its manufacture is forged from the history of the area. The spices in a real Cumberland sausage were originally sourced from the trade ships that linked Cumbria to the Americas and Africa when Whitehaven was the biggest port in the country.



We always buy ours from the Butcher shop in Kirkby Stephen when we are up here and have always been delighted with them. Last night I simply cooked them in a bit of butter (that is all I had to grease the pan with) and then served them alongside some kolcannon and tenderstem broccoli, oh . . . and some Bisto, you can't forget the Bisto!



For afters we had another Cumbrian Treat! Sticky Toffee Pudding from the Cartmel Village shop! They are quite simply the best Sticky Toffee Puddings ever. This village is the home of Sticky Toffee Pudding, it's where it was born. The Cartmel Village Shop is a "must visit" for anyone who is up in this area and we would never miss stopping by and picking up one or two of their puddings. I know, you can get them all over the UK now, but there is something just that little bit special about having actually picked one up in Cartmel.



I have made it myself using this recipe. It's very, very good as well, but not quite as good as the ones from Cartmel. Their recipe is a well hidden secret, although I do have to say that my recipe comes pretty darn close!



Forty five seconds in the microwave and we had lift off. We are then tucking into one of the mostest delicious of all Sticky Toffee Puddings ever. I added a scoop of Clotted Cream on the side because I had some and it's gorgeous, and we're on holidays, damn the calories!!



It was most, most, MOST delicious! (They also make other puddings such as chocolate and ginger, but the Sticky Toffee remains our favourite.)



If you would like to learn about another castle we visited pop on over to the cottage to find out more.