Name: Sausage & parmesan cobbler
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil; 12 herby sausages (we used Lincolnshire); 4 rashers streaky dry-cured smoked bacon chopped; 1 large onion chopped; 1 medium carrot chopped; 1 garlic clove crushed; 10 sage leaves, chopped, plus a few whole to decorate; leaves from 2 thyme sprig (optional); 1 tsp hot smoked paprika plus an extra sprinkle for the top; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes; 2 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar; 400g can cannellini beans drained and rinsed; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 250g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting; 50g cold butter cut into cubes; 125ml milk; 1 egg beaten; 50g parmesan finely grated

For the sausage stew

1 tsp olive oil
12 herby sausages
(we used Lincolnshire)
4 rashers streaky dry-cured smoked bacon
chopped
1 large onion
chopped
1 medium carrot
chopped
1 garlic clove
crushed
10 sage
leaves, chopped, plus a few whole to decorate
leaves from 2 thyme sprig
(optional)
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
plus an extra sprinkle for the top
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar
400g can cannellini beans
drained and rinsed
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

For the cobbler topping

250g self-raising flour
plus extra for dusting
50g cold butter
cut into cubes
125ml milk
1 egg
beaten
50g parmesan
finely grated

Method

step 1
Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan. Brown the sausages for 5 mins until golden, then remove. Add the bacon to the pan, sizzle for 5-8 mins till golden, then stir in the onion and carrot. Cover and gently cook for 10 mins until soft.
step 2
Turn up the heat, add the garlic and half the herbs, and cook for 1 min. Stir in the paprika and tomato purée, give them 1 min to sizzle, then tip in the rest of the stew ingredients and bring to a simmer. Season to taste. Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. If your pan doesn’t go in the oven, spoon everything into a large baking dish. Add a splash of water if the beans have begun to soak up the juices.
step 3
For the topping, add a pinch of salt to the flour, then rub in the butter until the mix resembles fine crumbs. Beat together the milk, remaining chopped herbs, half the egg and most of the cheese, then tip into the bowl. Using a cutlery knife, bring everything together to a soft dough. Do not knead it. Split the dough into 6 even pieces, dust with a little flour, then roll and squeeze each piece into a rope about 30cm long. roll up into spirals.
step 4
Sit the spirals on top of the stew. Brush with leftover egg, then scatter with the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle with a pinch of smoked paprika and poke in a few sage leaves. Bake for 25-30 mins until the cobbler topping is golden and well risen, and the stew is bubbling beneath.