How-To Guides

How to cook a cumberland sausage

What is a cumberland sausage ring?

A famous name both within the sausage community and meat lovers across the UK, the cumberland sausage is a classic coiled (unlinked) sausage that contains a minimum of 80% pork, known for its strong spicy and peppery seasoning.

While modern recipes are less heavy-handed on the spice to accommodate changing palates, Swaledale has stayed true to the original with a potent pepper hit, ably supported with cayenne, nutmeg, ginger, and mace. Another distinctive feature of the cumberland sausage is that the meat is chopped, not ground or minced, to give the sausage a chunky texture.

Made using our preferred shoulder and belly cuts, these iconic bangers have just the right amount of fat content for perfect meaty and succulent sausages.

Cumberland sausage ring cooking time

Our cumberland sausage ring is ideal for slow baking in a medium-hot oven for 15-20 minutes, but can also be enjoyed fried over a medium-low temperature or cooked on the barbecue.

How to cook cumberland sausage ring in the oven

  1. Remove your cumberland sausage ring from the packaging and pat dry any moisture.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Fan 180ºC/Gas 4.
  3. Rub a little olive oil over the sausage ring and place in a non-stick baking tray.
  4. Cook in the oven for approx. 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally until the top has crisped up and become golden brown.
  5. Ensure your sausage ring is thoroughly cooked before consumption.
  6. Tuck in and enjoy.

How to cook cumberland sausage ring in a frying pan

  1. Remove your cumberland sausage ring from the packaging and pat dry any moisture.
  2. Put a non-stick frying pan on medium-low heat and add a drop of olive oil.
  3. Place your cumberland sausage ring in the pan and turn approximately every 4 minutes or so.
  4. Cooking time will be around 15-20 minutes. Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat to high – the art is to keep it low and slow, so the sausage takes the heat evenly, browning nicely on each side.
  5. Ensure your sausage ring is thoroughly cooked before consumption.
  6. Tuck in and enjoy.

Cumberland sausage ring recipe

This versatile sausage is equally at home with creamy mash and onion gravy, as it is to enhance the presentation and flavours of a classic fry-up. When you don’t feel like washing up, this rich and hearty Cumberland sausage cassoulet delivers all the comfort you’ll ever need in just one pot.

Jorge hails from the Black Mountains where he grew up surrounded by hardy, native livestock. His passion for cookery was sparked by his upbringing, but developed and intensified alongside his respect for British breeds, and zeal for nose-to-tail eating. In 2009 trained chef Jorge launched Swaledale in Haworth, and took his native-breed led whole-carcass butchery philosophy to high profile restaurateurs. Jorge is a passionate procurer and hanger of meat, and is keen to showcase the sublime taste and texture that comes from ageing, higher fat content, and an older carcass. Jorge proudly invests in native-breeds, as maintaining their market demand is crucial to their very survival. Jorge studied Creative Writing at Leeds University, and is a former Welsh athletics champion. He lives with his wife, ceramicist Amy Thomas and their 2 children, Fynn and Bea, on a remote grouse moor in West Yorkshire.