MALLON'S SAUSAGES (€3.09/400g, from Superquinn, SuperValu, Tesco and independents)Pork, apple and cinnamon is a made-in-heaven combination, and when parcelled up together in a sweet and juicy sausage, the celestial trio are irresistible.
Mallon's sausages, made by a family firm in Monaghan, have a cult following. In addition to the pork, apple and cinnamon variety, made with Co Armagh Bramley apples, there is a pork, leek and black pepper sausage, and a traditional breakfast sausage that is served to guests at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin.
Unlike many other bangers, Mallon's don't sizzle and spit too much on the pan, and don't shrivel up into wrinkly, unappetising specimens, even when baked and left to wait around in a warm oven.
"Mallon's sausages are made using pork shoulder, so the level of fat is quite low. They are filled into natural gut casing, and coarsely mixed to retain their shape and size," explains sales manager John Dolan, who has been working with Mallon's since he was a schoolboy in the 1970s.
The breakfast sausage is subtly spicy, the leek and pepper is good and meaty, with a lovely savoury taste, but the apple and cinnamon is the star. "Dipped in Christmas" said one taster, describing the alluring aroma that is evident as soon as the pack is opened.
Just one caveat: E621, better known as monosodium glutamate, is in the season mix, but perhaps not for much longer. "This has been reviewed, and trials are taking place with a view to reformulating our seasonings without losing any flavour," Dolan says.
Marie-Claire Digby