Simply put, sausage is ground meat mixed with fat, salt and other seasonings, preservatives and sometimes fillers such as breadcrumbs. Sausages are easy to make yourself and you don't have to use sausage casing (from the pig's intestine) . . . they can be just moulded into a sausage shape, like the homemade pork sausages on this page. There must be enough fat, otherwise they will be dry. If you are using a lean meat like a cut of lamb, or even chicken, some added pork or bacon with a bit of fat is a good idea. You will also need an egg to bind the mixture together so it doesn't fall apart when you are cooking them. I hope the following recipes will provide some comfort in the chilly darkened evenings ahead.

BACON AND SAUSAGE STEW WITH BEANS
Serves 4

This is simply heaven in a casserole dish.

It is a hearty meal and the perfect reward after a long winter walk.

75g dried black turtle beans (or black-eyed beans)
75g borlotti beans or kidney beans
75g cannellini beans or haricot beans or 2 x 400g tins of cooked beans, drained
8 rashers smoked bacon (about 300g), sliced into lardons
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes or 800g fresh tomatoes
1.2 litres chicken stock
225g cabbage (preferably green, such as Savoy), thinly sliced
300g smoked sausage, sliced into 5mm-thick pieces
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

If using dried beans soak them in cold water for five to six hours or overnight, then drain, cover with fresh cold water and simmer for 35-40 minutes until they are cooked through.

Saute the bacon in two tablespoons of olive oil in a flameproof casserole on a medium-high heat for a few minutes until golden. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds, then add the tomatoes and the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the cooked, drained beans, then add the cabbage and sliced sausage and cook for a further four minutes. Add the chopped herbs, taste and correct the seasoning.

HOMEMADE PORK SAUSAGES WITH COLCANNON AND APPLE SAUCE
Serves 4 (makes about 12)
For the sausages

450g fatty minced pork
50g breadcrumbs
1 egg, whisked
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or marjoram
3 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the colcannon
1.5kg floury potatoes, scrubbed
100g butter
500g green cabbage, outer leaves removed
250ml hot milk
2 tbsp chopped parsley

For the apple sauce
1 large cooking apple (35g), peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 tbsp water 25-50g caster sugar
For the sausages, mix together all the ingredients, except the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Fry a tiny bit of the mixture in a pan with a little olive or sunflower oil to see if the seasoning is good.

Divide the mixture into 12 pieces and shape each one into a sausage. Place on a baking tray or plate and set aside until you want to cook them. Chilling them for a day in the fridge is fine, or you can freeze them.

To make the colcannon, cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender. After five to 10 minutes, drain three-quarters of the water and continue to cook over a low heat. Avoid stabbing the potatoes with a knife as this will make them break up. When cooked, drain all the remaining water, peel and mash with 50g of the butter while hot.

I usually hold the potato on a fork and peel with a knife if they are hot.

Meanwhile, cook the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters, then cut out the core. Slice the cabbage finely across the grain. Heat a saucepan, add the remaining butter, two tablespoon water and the sliced cabbage. Toss over a medium heat for five to seven minutes, until just cooked. Add to the potatoes, then add the hot milk and the parsley, keeping some of the milk back in case you do not need it all. Season to taste and beat until creamy and smooth, adding more milk if necessary. Serve piping hot with the remaining butter melting in the centre.

To make the apple sauce, place the apple in a small saucepan with the water.

Put the lid on and cook over a gentle heat, stirring every now and then, until the apple has broken down to a mush. Add sugar to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

To cook the sausages, heat a frying pan on a low to medium heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil and gently fry the sausages for 12-15 minutes, until golden on all sides and cooked on the inside. Serve with the colcannon and apple sauce.

TOAD IN THE HOLE
This is the same batter used for Yorkshire Puddings . . . which are delicious with roast beef. Just omit the sausages.

24 cocktail sausages, or sliced large sausages (about 6), cooked
110g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
300ml milk
10g butter, melted and cooled
Olive oil or sunflower oil

Deep bun tray or a muffin tin Preheat an oven to 2300C. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Whisk continuously drawing the flour in from the sides of the bowl, add the milk in gradually while whisking. Add the cool melted butter. Place the tin into the hot oven on its own for a couple of minutes to heat up, then put a generous teaspoon of oil into each cup and two cooked sausages, or a few slices of larger sausages. Threequarters fill up with the batter and put into the hot oven for 15-20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown.

You can make this batter ahead of time . . . in fact it makes these even lighter if you do.

You can also make, from this batter, American Popovers, often served at brunch. Again, omit the sausages. Add two tablespoons of caster sugar to the flour. When they are cooked, and cooled, place a teaspoonful of marmalade or raspberry jam into the dip in the centre.

Dust with icing sugar, if you like. If you are having these with tea in the afternoon, you might like to add a spoonful of whipped cream.

ONION GRAVY
To serve with sausages and mash This is delicious onion gravy; sometimes I add a little dash of red wine or brandy to the stock.

1kg thinly sliced onions
25ml tbsp water
550ml good beef stock

Put the sliced onions into a pan with the water and cook very slowly, stirring every now and again, to stop them sticking. The sugar from the onions will slowly caramelise and turn a delicious golden brown. This may take up to an hour. When the onions are a deep golden brown, add the stock (and wine or brandy, if using) and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the stock has thickened. Taste and season. Serve warm.

SWEET CHERRY TOMATO AND SAUSAGE BAKE
Serves 6
This is such an easy recipe from Jamie Oliver's new book Jamie At Home. Any leftovers from this dish can be chopped up and made into a wonderful chunky pasta dish, using penne or rigatoni, the next day.

2kg ripe cherry tomatoes, mixed colours if you can find them
2 sprigs each of fresh thyme, rosemary and bay
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
12 good-quality Cumberland or coarse Italian pork sausages
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 1900C. Get roasting tray large enough to take the tomatoes in one snug-fitting layer. Put in all your tomatoes, the herb sprigs, oregano, garlic and sausages. Drizzle well with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss together, then make sure the sausages are on top and pop the tray into the oven for half an hour. After this time, give it a shake and turn the sausages over. Put back into the oven for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how golden and sticky you like your sausages.

Once it's cooked, you'll have an intense, tomatoey sauce. If it's a little too thin, lift out the sausages and place the tray on the hob to reduce it down to the consistency you like . . . I like mine quite thick . . . then put the sausages back in. Check the seasoning and serve either with a good-quality loaf of bread warmed through in a low oven for 10 minutes . . . perfect for mopping up the sauce . . . or with mashed potato, rice or polenta, a green salad and a nice glass of wine.

SAUSAGE FACTORIES

So many butchers make their own sausages, so check out the best ones in your area. I found a great website called www. sausagelinks. co. uk which has lots of interesting sausage facts and recipes but also lists many great sausage suppliers.

>> Fingal Ferguson makes a large selection of different sausages from venison, beef and his own pigs at Gubbeen in West Cork and sells these wonderful preservative-free delights at farmers markets around the Cork area.

>> O'Flynn's Butchers in Prince's Street, Cork.

>> O'Flynn's (no relation to the butchers in Prince's Street) in the English Market.

>> Caherbeg Sausages, Roscarbery, Co Cork.

Delicious pork sausages available at selected farmers markets.

>> Superquinn has been well-known for years for their lovely breakfast sausages.

>> Ed Hicks in Sallynoggin. Hicks of Sallynoggin, 45 Woodpark, Sallynoggin, Co. Dublin Tel. 01 2842700