75g block butter or block margarine
110g plain flour
a pinch of salt
little cold water
225g good quality pork sausagemeat
½ medium or 1 small onion, finely chopped in a mini chopper
2 rounded tablespoons chopped sage leaves (about 10g chopped with the onion in the mini chopper)
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

75 g block butter or block margarine 110 g plain flour 225 g good quality pork sausagemeat 2 rounded tablespoons chopped sage leaves (about 10g chopped with the onion in the mini chopper) 1 egg, beaten, to glaze

To make the pastry the fat needs to be rock-hard from the freezer, so first of all remove a pack of butter from the fridge, weigh out 75g then wrap it in a piece of foil and place it in the freezer or freezing compartment of the fridge for about 45 minutes.

Sift the flour and salt into a large, roomy bowl. Take the butter out of the freezer, remove the foil, or if you prefer fold back the foil and hold it in the foil, which will protect the butter from your warm hands. Then, using the coarse side of a grater, placed in the bowl over the flour, grate the butter, dipping the edges of the butter onto the flour several times to make it easier to grate. What you will end up with is a large pile of grated butter sitting in the middle of the flour.

Now take a palette knife and start to distribute the gratings into the flour – don't use your hands yet, just keep trying to coat all the pieces of fat with flour. Now sprinkle a tablespoon of cold water all over, continue mixing with the palette knife, adding a further 1 to 2 tablespoons more water. Start to bring the whole thing together with the palette knife, and finish off using your hands.

If you need a bit more moisture, that's fine, just dab on a little more with your fingers – just remember that the dough should come together in such a way that it leaves the bowl fairly clean, with no bits of loose butter or flour anywhere.Then leave it to rest in a polythene bag in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile mix the sausagemeat, onion, sage and seasoning together in a mixing bowl, then divide it into two and roll each piece with your hands on a lightly floured surface to 30cm long.

Put them on a piece of parchment, or a tray, whilst you roll out the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 220C, Gas mark 7.

Roll out the pastry as described in the recipe for quick flaky pastry below to form an oblong approximately 30 x 20cm. Cut this oblong into two strips 30 x 10cm and divide the sausagemeat also into two, making two long rolls the same length as the strips of pastry (if it’s sticky sprinkle on some flour and flour your hands).

Place one roll of sausagemeat onto one strip of pastry. Brush the beaten egg along one edge, then fold the pastry over and seal it as carefully as possible. Roll the whole thing over so the sealed edge is underneath. Roll lightly and repeat with the second piece of pastry and sausagemeat.

Then use a small sharp knife to cut each roll into six sausage rolls, each about 5cm long. Snip three V shapes in the top of each roll with the end of some scissors and brush with beaten egg. Place the rolls on the baking sheet and bake high in the oven for 20-25 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool.