Top 8: These store-bought sausage roll sate our comfort food cravings

I’m happy to report that we found lots of full markers.

Fri, 06 Nov, 2026 - 02:00

Roz Crowley

Shorter days and longer nights have us craving comfort foods: something with plenty of warming spices, something to sink our teeth into, all wrapped in crisp, flaky pastry. Sausage rolls fit the bill perfectly.

Air fryers have come into most of our lives and are an excellent way to heat sausage rolls, and we can only be grateful that they have replaced microwaves, which ruin pastry.

To make a quick apple sauce, core and quarter some cooking apples, and if you have room, add them to the air fryer. Otherwise, add them, peeled, to a small cup of water in a saucepan with the lid on for 10 minutes until fluffy. I have found that this year’s apples need no sugar.

There’s no denying that sausage rolls contain quite a lot of fat in the pork and the pastry, so keep quantities low, and serve with a simple seasonal salad of grated raw carrot, chickpeas, and cooked cauliflower florets in a vinaigrette dressing. Cooked orzo pasta dressed with a vinaigrette is good on the side, so too is mashed potatoes.

We looked at a mix of locally made luxury pies and budget versions. Useful for lunch boxes, children liked the budget, supermarket versions.

The Grumpy Bakers 125g €3.50 each (€28/kg)

A generous amount of meat from Ballymaloe-reared free-range pigs encased in house puff pastry, amounting to what one taster described as ‘better than homemade’. Sesame seeds on top provide a nice crunch to contrast with the texture of the pastry. Delicious meat. One is plenty for a meal with accompaniments such as stewed apple to cut through the fat. In Midleton and Washington Street, Cork.

Score: 10

M&S Our Best Ever 423g €9.75 (€23.04/kg)

With a comfortingly short list of ingredients, these fairly small rolls contain 52% sausage meat from Britain, lightened by potato, with gentle spicing and enriched with caramelised onions. Pastry crisped up nicely and didn’t fall apart, and contrasted well with the black and white ground peppers, nutmeg and thyme. Expensive, but popular with tasters.

Score: 10

James Whelan Butchers 442g €5.74 (€14/kg when cooked)

A tasty 70% sausage meat in two raw rolls is gently flavoured with tomato sauce, carrot, and potato, with low spicing. Good flaky pastry. Fair value and quality. Available in selected Dunnes Stores. Will freeze well until needed.

Score: 9.5

Wildflour 180g €4.50 each (€25/kg)

As this was our top marker five years ago, we had to go back to see if standards had been maintained. Caherbeg free-range pork sausage meat is used here with the interesting addition of apple, fresh sage and black pepper. In-house puff pastry means no loading of additives for longevity. Standards are still supreme, and the rolls are delicious and loved by all tasters. In the Inishannon and Bantry bakeries.

Score: 10

The Pie Guys 330g €5 each frozen, 290g €6 each cooked (€15/€20.68/kg)

With the greatest proportion of sausage meat to pastry in our selection, this is a sizeable roll — one is more than enough for a main course. Caherbeg pork is always a good sign on an ingredient list, and the spicing with fennel seeds and chilli is just enough to be interesting, contrasting with the deliciously light pastry, topped with sunflower seeds. In English Market, Cork and its store in Bandon.

Score: 10

Aldi Specially Selected 2 Gourmet Pork & Irish Pancetta 260g €2.29 (€8.60/kg)

These were popular with tasters who liked the richness of the flavour in contrast to the layers of puff pastry, and thought the quality matched the price. 38% pork, 3.5% smoky bacon lardons, 5% caramelised red onion chutney, onion, black and white pepper, mace, thyme, sage, oregano.

Score: 9

Lidl 8 snack size 288g 99c (€3.43/kg)

We know that children often prefer simple flavours in lunch boxes, and at this price, they can be useful. You get what you pay for with a relatively low 13% pork and a high enough 1.49% salt (more than some samples). Young tasters liked them, so they made it to our selection.

Score: 7

Tesco 5 jumbo 400g €3 (€7.50/kg)

For large lunchtime appetites, these in jumbo size make handy lunchbox additions. With 35% Irish pork sausage meat, the additional flavouring comes from black and white pepper, mace, thyme, and sage. Young tasters liked them, while the grown-ups appreciated the price-taste ratio.