LITTLE SAUSAGE MEN

Children seldom need encouragement to tuck into sausages and mash; even so, I love to surprise them with this little chap. He has brought smiles to many little faces over the years. He was a favourite on the nursery menu but has also been known to venture out on picnics as a cold sausage man. Note that you should be on hand to remove the cocktail sticks that hold him together.

Serves 2

For the sausage men

A little light olive oil

10 pork cocktail sausages 6 small pieces of broccoli 2 cherry tomatoes

2 button mushrooms or the ends of a cucumber 2 parsley leaves

Organic tomato ketchup (optional)

For the mash

1 medium russet potato 75ml (2½fl oz) milk

30g (1oz) butter

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg

Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Prick the sausages and fry for 10 minutes, until browned and crispy. Once cooked, keep warm.

While the sausages are cooking, peel and dice the potato, and cook in boiling, salted water until soft. Drain thoroughly. Place the milk and butter in the pan in which the potato was cooked and bring to the boil. Add the potato and cook for 1 minute. Using a fork or potato masher, mash to a very smooth purée and season lightly. I believe it is important to season children’s food carefully and not to serve food that is bland. I use salt sparingly and also a little freshly ground black pepper and finely grated nutmeg, which will lend a very subtle flavour to the potato. Lightly cook the broccoli in salted, boiling water for 6-8 minutes.

To assemble the sausage men, you will need one sausage as a body to which you attach 2 sausages to one end for legs and 2 sausages at the other end for arms, using cocktail sticks. For the head, use a tomato, onto which you can secure either a mushroom hat or a cucumber hat. Use another cocktail stick to attach the head and hat to the body, with a parsley leaf under the head.

To serve, put a mound of mashed potato onto each serving plate and either sit or lay a sausage man on it, or you can stand them up by propping against a high stack of mash. Decorate each with 3 pieces of broccoli and serve immediately. I usually accompany the men with tiny bowls of organic tomato ketchup.