Sausage Plait Recipe

Here's my first recipe for the blog, as featured in Student Direct.
Very tasty and filling, a must if you're a Sausage-Roller rather than a Pasty lover.

Sausage Plait

- 1 pack ready-made puff pastry (or homemade if you have the time!)
- A sprinkling of plain flour for rolling the pastry
- A dab of butter for greasing the tray
- About 9 sausages' worth of sausage meat
- 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- Fresh rosemary
- Mixed herbs, salt and pepper to season

1. Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 7 or 230 degrees C.
2. Roll the pastry into a rectangular shape, slightly longer, but thinner than A4.
3. Add the onions, meat, herbs and seasoning to a bowl. Mix well (with hands is sticky, but efficient).
4. Place the pastry on a greased non-stick baking tray. Put the sausage mix in the middle, leaving a 2" border all the way around.
5. Cut strips in the pastry at a 45 degree angle all the way around the sausage mix, leaving an inch gap round the edge.
6. Using the strips, make a plait of pastry on the top.
7. Brush over with the egg wash.
8. Cook for 20 mins, or until golden.
9. Cut into slices and enjoy with your condiment of choice (Ketchup is my fave).

The Final Countdown

Upon getting stuck in Madrid a few weeks ago thanks to a pesky little ash cloud, I took the decision to get onto this blog proper. If nothing else, I'm sure it'll make for some good procrastination during finals (hence the punny title) and hopefully will mean I get some good stuff on here during the summer, which will no doubt aid my journalistic career. If not, I can always just post any old bile, a good bit of venting does a body good after all.

And venting I shall do.

I voted last Thursday (well technically I voted last Monday as I had a postal vote), and did so with the intent of contributing to a result that would lead to a hung parliament. It seemed the only solution to me as the Lib Dems had no chance of getting in, Labour needed a kick up the arse and I reallllly didn't want to have to call David Cameron our Prime Minister (I'm sure he's a nice man really, but I just don't trust him as a politician). 3 days later though, and we're still sans government and sans any idea what the bloody hell is going on. A Tory/Lib Dem coalition is looking unlikely now as both parties stand firm on key policy differences, and Labour are simply crying out for anyone who'll take them. Most right-minded people are hoping it all gets sorted out through negotiation over electoral reform which will mean the British electorate is not put in such a position ever again, but only time will tell if our wish gets fulfilled.

Through this whole shebang though, we have at least had one great man to lead us through all the confusion and turmoil - I refer, of course, to (should be Sir) David Dimbleby, or 'Dimbers' as I like to call him. 71 years old and still with it after 15 hours of televised debate and political nonsense - I wasn't impressed but flabbergasted. I caved at 1:30am when it became apparent it would be hours, if not days, before we really knew who was going to be ruling us, but Dimbers carried on strong. If he doesn't get a knighthood within the next year for services to the nation's mental wellbeing, I'll eat my Louboutins.

Dimbers for PM.