To be around joy is joyous. The mood in London this weekend is electric as the country holds its breath waiting for England to win against Italy in the Euros. As I write, a goal is scored. Screams are echoing from each apartment and cars are honking horns in the streets. No matter the result, it is a nice end to a special few days. It's been a birthday cake for breakfast sort of week as it began with my boyfriend turning thirty. I made the Proper Chocolate Cake from one of January's newsletters and decorated it with his beloved geraniums. 

As we started the week with champagne and Crêpes Suzette at his birthday dinner it seemed to set the mood for the following days. This joy carried on with dinner at a friends house to eat the most magnificent menu of burrata with anchovies and peppers, the most spectacular saffron risotto, and affogato (Imogen, you are a marvel). I wanted to keep pausing to see the moments of joy. Like interrupting my parent's Scrabble game on FaceTime amidst lockdown in Sydney when if only for a moment, it felt like I could reach out and rearrange the tiles on the words they were spelling out for each other amidst their laughs. 
 

Find the joy where you can this week, a ripe fig, a very good glass of wine or just having the freedom to decide what you want to do with your day. Joy spent is never wasted, like a love story, no matter the ending, it's always worth it. Cooking what I want, eating what I like, and being able to eat for pleasure is a privilege that I never want to forget.  

Londoners, if you're in town on the 11th of August I'm hosting a supper club at the private apartment in the LAYLOW member's club in Notting Hill. Hannah Crosbie will be pouring the wine and I'll be cooking three courses of seasonally inspired Italian-esque food.
 

Hello to the many new names here and thank you for subscribing. Wherever in the world you may be, I hope good food finds you this week. 

 

Sausage Rolls with Red Onion Jam

I have been making these sausage rolls for years and I really think that they're an all-occasion food. Heading to a friend's BBQ and want something to bring? Sausage rolls. Need a snack to watch the football? Sausage rolls. Want a laidback lunch? Serve sausage rolls and some fancy salad leaves tossed in a very mustardy vinaigrette and it'll make people smile.

You can make these sausage rolls vegetarian or vegan really easily, simply substitute the sausages for your favourite plant-based ones and mix with the red onion jam and other ingredients. 

They are spicy with hints of chilli and sweet with caramelised red onion jam, they are perfect picnic food but you’ll be lucky if they make it outside the kitchen as you’ll want to eat them straight from the oven.

Ingredients for Red Onion Jam

• 2 red onions, thinly sliced

• 1 heaped tablespoon of light brown sugar

• A pinch of salt

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

• 1 tablespoon of vinegar 

Ingredients for Sausage Rolls

• 500g of Cumberland sausages

• 1 tablespoon of fennel seeds

• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

• A pinch of salt

• 1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry

• 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds

• 1 egg

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat and add in the onions with the sugar and salt. Cook on medium heat with the lid on for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to stop them sticking. Add the vinegar and cook them for another 15 minutes on a slightly lower heat until they are jammy and completely caramelized. Leave to cool.

In a large mixing bowl add the sausage meat, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and a pinch of salt. Mix well to combine before folding through the red onion jam. Lay out the sheet of pastry and use a rolling pin to make it slightly thinner.

Cut the sheet in half and fill the centre of each with a long row of the sausage mix before folding over the pastry to seal. Cut these into bite-size sausage rolls and place them on a lined baking tray. Whisk the egg in a bowl with a little bit of water and use a pastry brush to coat the tops of the pastry. Sprinkle over the poppy seeds and bake in a 200C oven for 25-30 minutes until they’re golden brown.