Belmont sausage with mushroom relish

I used to make this sausage with the children at the infant school my sons attended. They all loved the process of making sausages from scratch and got the hang of it very quickly, screaming and giggling as the first sausage was filled. The recipe changes every time I get the mincer out, so the Belmont Sausage, named after the school, lives up to its namesake as a learning experience. This time it is a long, traditional Cumberland shape curled into a round.

Pass both meats through the mincer (grinder) once and the back fat twice, using the plate with the widest holes. Place in a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs. Crush the chopped garlic to a paste with a pinch of the salt, and then add to the meats with the remaining sausage ingredients except the remaining salt, the casings and the oil. Mix thoroughly with clean hands. Cover and chill overnight.

Rinse the casing by running cold water through it. The easiest way to do this is to fit one end on to the tap (faucet). Just make sure the other end is in the sink, or you could be drenched. Remove the plate with the holes from the mincer and fit the casing on to the sausage-making attachment. If you haven't got one of these you can improvise with a trimmed-to-size plastic funnel that fits on the end or even use a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Add the remaining salt to the mixture and mix well. Fill the casing in one continuous length, leaving a gap of 13cm/5in of empty casing halfway, and then separate into two sausages, securing each by tying the ends. Curl each sausage into a round, cover and chill until ready to use.

Make the relish. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic for about 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the water and boil until it has evaporated. Stir in the sugar, parsley and sherry vinegar. Season well with salt and black pepper, cover and cool before use.

Prepare the barbecue. Skewer the sausages to maintain the round shape. Once the flames have died down, rake the hot coals to one side and insert a drip tray flat beside them. Position a lightly oiled grill rack over the coals to heat. When the coals are medium-hot, or covered with a moderate coating of ash, brush the sausages with a little oil and place them on the grill rack over the drip tray. Cover with a lid or tented heavy-duty foil, and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked and golden. Serve with the relish and the juices from the drip tray, if you wish.

Serves 6-8
450g/1lb skinless and boneless belly pork, cut into large pieces
450g/1lb pork shoulder, cut into large pieces
300-400g/11-14oz back fat, cut into large pieces
50g/2oz/1 cup freshly made breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, chopped
10ml/2tspsalt
10ml/2 tsp ground coriander
5ml/1 tsp ground black pepper
5ml/1 tsp ground cumin
1.5ml/ ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1.5ml/ ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
45ml/3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
60ml/4 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram
60ml/4 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Enough cleaned sausage casings for just over 900g/2lb sausage: about 50g/2oz or 2.7m/9 feet
30ml/2 tbsp olive oil for brushing
6 metal skewers
For the relish
45ml/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150g/5oz/2 cups chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
25g/1oz/3 tbsp drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped
90ml/6 tbsp water
20ml/4 tsp sugar
30ml/2 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
30ml/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper