Sage Sausage Rolls

Preheat the oven to 190°C, gas 5.

For the filling: In a bowl, mix the sausage meat, sage, nutmeg, pepper, and breadcrumbs until they are well combined. Half the sausage mixture, place each half on a long piece of cling film. Roll the cling film around the sausage mixture to make a long log shape approximately 30 cm long. Alternatively, you can place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle or opening and use this to pipe along the lengths of pastry.

Unroll the puff pastry and place it on a lightly floured surface. With the shortest edge towards you, cut the pastry in half lengthways. Egg wash the long edges of each pastry sheet.

Unwrap the sausage mixture from the cling film. Place one of the sausage-meat logs down one side of one of the halved pastry sheets. Fold over the pastry to cover the sausage meat entirely. Place the fold underneath. Repeat with the other sausage meat log and pastry to make two long sausage rolls. If using a piping bag, pipe the sausage meat along one side of the pastry and enclose as above.

Use a small sharp knife to cut each log into eight sausage rolls, for a total of 16. Then, brush each sausage roll well with beaten egg. Decorate as you like. Either use a small sharp knife to score a couple of lines across the top, or top each sausage roll with an extra sage leaf and re-brush to secure the leaf on top. Place the sausage rolls spaced apart on a greased baking sheet.

Rechill for 20 minutes.