THE GOLD COAST’S TOP 5 SAUSAGE ROLLS TO GET YOUR TEETH INTO

It’s a long way to the shop if you want a sausage roll, so Rose Sadleir has sauced five of the best to ensure the savoury treats are worth the trip

QUINNEYS PIES, BURLEIGH HEADS From peppered beef to curried pork, Tony Quinn’s sausage rolls are in a league of their own.

That is why the talented baker, who has won more than 40 awards for his mouthwatering pies, believes it is wrong that the humble sausage roll is so undercelebrated.

Tony says there is no official competition in Australia for best sausage roll yet – and he is lobbying for the little sister of the pie to get some rightful recognition.

“They are so neglected, it’s sad,” he says with a laugh.

Luckily, Tony himself is giving his sausage rolls the spotlight they deserve.

The Quinneys Pies owner does not do a standard beef – it is either lamb and rosemary, curry, pepper or smoky bacon.

“We have been testing out the new flavours and curry has gone gangbusters,” he says.

“It’s gourmet all the way for us.”

Besides the quality fillings, Tony says his sausage rolls would be nothing without the perfect pastry.

“It’s the marriage of the two that makes it,” he says.

“I use a nice puff pastry with real butter and real ingredients. It’s not too dry or too oily.” PADDOCK BAKERY, MIAMI Ursula Palmer takes her sausage rolls very seriously.

The Paddock Bakery owner knows there is nothing quite like a good sausage roll – which is why they make theirs from the best ingredients.

The rolls are filled with pistachio, apple and pork.

“We make them in house and treat them as an artesian’s pride, just like we do with all of our products,” Ursula says.

“We use a beautiful artesian pastry which we source from South Australia.”

Ursula says the sausage rolls are made in small batches to keep the quality consistent.

“We also wood-fire them in small batches throughout the day to make sure everyone is getting a beautiful product.”

The interesting pork, pistachio and apple combination is one that Ursula’s husband Ben came up with.

“It’s different and people appreciate that,” she says.

“We have people come from Brisbane just for them, they are that good.” STICKY BUNS, TUGUN Simon Fowler has been waking up just after 2am for almost 28 years, but it doesn’t seem to worry him.

It’s because the Sticky Buns owner never lost his passion for baking – and if you ever taste one of his delicious sausage rolls you will understand why.

“The key for us is the fresh ingredients we use,” says Simon.

“We use some secret seasoning and even the way we do our puff pastry is different. We use butter – which doesn’t get used that much in bakeries because of the heat.”

Simon says Sticky Buns’ savoury delights are twice the size of other places.

“Ours have that kick to them. And we sell heaps ... people keep coming back,” he says.

“Because they are bigger and moist with more flavour a lot of people say they don’t need sauce.”

Sticky Buns’ manager Marie Chamberlain says the popularity of their sausage rolls is due to the fact they are “lucky and blessed with amazing pastry chefs”.

“A lot of love goes into them and the pastry is so fresh and crispy,” she says. BURLEIGH POINT PIES, BURLEIGH HEADS If you ever make your way down to Burleigh Heads Farmers’ Markets on a Saturday morning, you have to try one of Fabrizio Tancredi’s pastry treats.

The Italian foodie flaunts a sign claiming “best pies on the Gold Coast” – and it is about time he got one for his sausage rolls, too.

“We have two people who bake the sausage rolls – Terry makes the fillings and Allen, who is from New Zealand, he makes the pastry,” Fabrizio says.

“New Zealand pastry is the best and we make everything from scratch.”

Fabrizio’s rolls are filled with pork and veal as well as Terry’s secret spices.

“His recipes are great, the taste is very particular,” says Fabrizio.

“Our sausage rolls and pies are very generous sizes – they are about one and a half times bigger than usual.”

The other upside of Burleigh Point Pies that will make every savoury pastry lover rejoice: free sauce.

“You can have as much as you like, but sometimes it’s better not to have too much or you kill the taste of the sausage roll,” Fabrizio says. FOSTER’S BAKERY, NOBBY BEACH While it might be hard to go past one of Foster’s lamb and rosemary pies, their sausage rolls are worth a second trip.

The bakery, which is nestled among Nobby shops, was opened by Kevin Foster 30 years ago.

While Kevin has since passed the baton on his son Stuart, the old-time baker still visits the store daily.

Stuart agrees it is hard to pass up a good pie but says Foster’s sausage rolls are still really popular.

“We use fresh ingredients which makes a big difference,” he says. “Fresh parsley would have to be our secret.”