Where can I buy British-style sausages in the US?

January 6, 2018 11:17 AM

My husband is British. We live in the States. He really misses sausages. I would love to be able to buy some for him. Can anyone help?

When he says sausages, he's talking about your basic, bog-standard, supermarket sausage, nothing fancy. Something like this or this. As you might imagine, American-style "breakfast" sausages or Italian sausages or hotdogs or brats are...not really the same. We eat all of those, and it's fine, but then my poor husband gets a look of longing and I know he is quietly missing a nice fry-up.

I have access to all the usual supermarkets you'd expect in the suburban midwest, including a Trader Joe's and a Whole Foods. There is no butcher in my town, but I could go into the nearest big city (St. Louis) and find a butcher there...if I knew what to ask for. I've tried asking at the meat counter in my local supermarket, but it's kind of a hard question unless a person has actually been to the UK - they usually just point me to the breakfast sausages, or shrug.

I can see online that there's a few mail order options. I'm hoping someone here might have firsthand experience and could recommend a particular brand or shop? I'd be happy to order some in and keep in our freezer. I just want to avoid taking stabs in the dark, so it would help me a lot if one of you happens to be an expat who has managed to recreate the supermarket sausage experience on this side of the pond.

As a long shot, I have actually toyed with the idea of making sausages myself. I'm a pretty good cook, and I believe I can buy meat grinding and sausage stuffing attachments for my KitchenAid. If anyone has recommendations for where to start with that project, I'll take them!

posted by cpatterson to Food & Drink (20 answers total)

I'd ask for something kind of generically British sausage-y, like Cumberland sausage (now seeing your Tesco links say exactly that). Try LeGrand's Market & Catering in the St. Louis Hills neighborhood, Baumann's in Brentwood or Vincent's in Soulard - give them a call and see whether they have what you're looking for, or can recommend someone who does.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:34 AM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

I’ve ordered what are supposed to be traditional Irish sausages from Tommy Maloney’s, but I have no idea if that’s the same as what you want. They are definitely different from what I can get at my grocery store. I’m pretty sure they ship anywhere in the US. I think they’re good, but I know nothing about British sausage. Website here.
posted by FencingGal at 11:49 AM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

What you want is an ex-pat shop. This one doesn't deliver sausages to the US, but there may be a local one that imports.
posted by biscotti at 11:54 AM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

You can totally make them yourself, should be fun. Otherwise biscotti has it right, google british shop, english store, etc in your locality. They have frozen sossiges at this place in St. Charles.
posted by Iteki at 11:58 AM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

In New York City, there's Myers of Keswick. Looks like they sell online, even their fresh meat products.

(edit: looks like only local delivery. Still, call and ask, you never know!)
posted by Borborygmus at 12:04 PM on January 6, 2018 [4 favorites]

Parker's is our local Pie & Chip shop and it's amazing. I am a big fan of their sausage and chips, but it looks like they offer a variety of types of sausage.
posted by RhysPenbras at 12:09 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

You really want to go to a butcher shop for this. Your profile says you're in St. Louis.. You want one of these:

Don's Meat Market, 4012 S. Broadway, St. Louis.
G&W Sausage, 4828 Parker Avenue, St. Louis.
Baumann's, 8829 Manchester Rd, St. Louis.

Go into any of those and tell them you're looking for sausages for a proper English breakfast for your British husband. They'll hook you up.
posted by erst at 1:08 PM on January 6, 2018 [2 favorites]

I've bought from British Delights a couple times, and I think their category of "Bangers and Bacon" might be exactly what you're after.
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 1:09 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Iteki, I am actually in St. Charles and the guy who runs that shop is so surly - and not even British! - that I've stopped going there. I'll have to go back and ask to take a look in the freezer though.

Thank you all for the answers so far!
posted by cpatterson at 1:17 PM on January 6, 2018

Have you poked around the larger farmer's markets close to you? All it takes is one expat british farmer satisfying his own cravings and you could hook your husband up with something locally grown and handmade.
posted by mumblelard at 1:34 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

My British boyfriend buys sausages and black pudding from Jolly Posh, started by a British ex-pat. They are local-ish to us in Chicago so he can get them at farmer's markets, and they started carrying them at local supermarkets as well. (There is a "Buy Online" link on their website but it doesn't seem to go anywhere; you could contact them and ask.) Not super close to you, but not ridiculously far away either...if you ever make it out this way?

He says that when they hear his accent they seem embarrassed about their name, but he seems to enjoy their products. To my American palate the pork sausages taste slightly bland and fine-textured, but that seems about right according to my brief UK memories.
posted by spelunkingplato at 1:36 PM on January 6, 2018 [3 favorites]

Kenrick’s sells Irish bangers.
posted by alusru at 2:04 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

As for make it yourself that should be reasonable and you can 100% get a combo sausage grinder/stuffer. Most ethnic grocery stores have natural hog casing. You can do it!!!
posted by chasles at 2:53 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Does he want bangers that are mostly rusk or Cumberland style mostly meat?
posted by brujita at 4:35 PM on January 6, 2018

The Butchers Block in Queens, NY, stocks mainly Irish sausages and delivers. They do black pudding too, which may or may not be his cup of tea. They also stock sausage rolls and all your other fry-up needs.
posted by hibbersk at 5:24 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I am actually in St. Charles and the guy who runs that shop is so surly - and not even British! - that I've stopped going there.

The matriarch of the family that founded/runs/owns the English Shop in St. Charles is British. The surly guy is her husband, but they're both getting quite up there in age and one of their sons is eventually taking over I presume. But I can confirm that they have the sausages you're looking for in the freezer!

Also, around St. Patrick's Day time, Costco in St. Peters carries Irish sausages which are really close and quite tasty!
posted by Jacob G at 8:52 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ackroyd's Scottish Bakery in Detroit has a selection of British sausages including beef bangers and Cumberland sausage, as well as other British goodies. They ship.
posted by Preserver at 8:52 PM on January 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

For future reference: Trader Joe's stocks fresh bangers in March, around saint Patrick's day.

Also echoing what other's have said about going to a traditional butcher shop.
posted by SteveInMaine at 3:05 AM on January 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

The Trader Joes bangers which they stock in March for Saint Patrick’s Day are crap. They taste nothing like British or Irish sausages and have a weird organ meat taste. I remember them being good a few years ago though - maybe a change of supplier?

Does anyone have a source for basic bangers in the SF Bay Area? The Whole Foods bangers are no good.
posted by w0mbat at 9:52 AM on January 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Contradicting myself, the new 2018 Trader Joes Irish bangers are in, and they are actually good. They must have changed suppliers again. Taste just like proper British sausages.
posted by w0mbat at 3:59 PM on March 5, 2018 [2 favorites]