Walthamstow really is a great place to buy sausages. We are spoilt for choice. Over the last few weeks we have been trying all different sausages, well Autumn is here so it would be wrong not to. I like bangers and mash with loads of onion gravy; I guess my Yorkshire roots are showing. Mum used to serve them every Thursday night.  The other half of the foodies has fond memories of Lincolnshire sausages on Bonfire night.

So what did we try?

Let’s kick off with Walthamstow farmers’ market. The range of sausages at the award winning Giggly Pig Company’s stall is mind-boggling, including pork & jalapeno, hickory smoked, honey & mustard, cider apple and spicy garlic – 4 packs for £10. All the meat is from outdoor reared free-range, rare-breed saddleback pigs from their farm in Essex. On a chilly Sunday morning we breakfasted on two grilled sausages with fried onions served in a white roll with lashings of mustard for £3. The sausages were hot, juicy and just what we needed to refuel on our way around the rest of the market stalls. The only let down was the white roll but then I am fussy about bread.

Again from the farmers’ market we bought award winning pork and tomato sausage from Woodhouse Farm at £6.90 per kilo, we spent just over £2 for 6 sausages.

The Hungarian sausages from HR Parsons are a bit of a find.  All their sausages are homemade including skinny pork chipolatas, rings of herbed South African boer wor, huge beef ones and the smoky Hungarian kolbasz. Prices are £4.19 per kilo for the beef and pork sausages and the rest are all £4.98 per kilo.

I think my favourite is the merguez sausages from Maghreb. Often the supermarket merguez sausages available in the UK are toned down flavours – these are the real deal! They are deep red, spicy beef sausages, heavily flavoured with chilli, harissa and garlic. We usually eat them as part of a mixed grill served with couscous. I usually buy about 6 for £2.

I’m sure there are other suppliers in the borough that I’ve yet to find. On my foodie to do list is to buy a sausage sandwich from Jack & Will Grill, street food sold on Tuesdays outside the Rose & Crown pub on Hoe Street in Walthamstow or outside Wood Street Indoor Market.

Do you like merguez sausages or do you have another favourite?