Lamb sausage

Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and roast the sausages for about 20–25 minutes, turning them once. Check the thickest one is piping hot all the way through, with no pink meat.

Cook them in a little oil over a medium-low heat, turning regularly rather than letting one side scorch. Allow about 15–20 minutes, then check that they’re piping hot throughout and not pink in the middle.

No. The Food Standards Agency advises cooking sausages thoroughly; cut into the thickest one to check it’s steaming hot throughout, with no pink meat. If you use a food thermometer, the centre should reach 70°C for 2 minutes.

Use them in bangers and mash or toad in the hole; their fuller lamb flavour works especially well with onion gravy. You can also brown them and simmer them in a sausage casserole with root vegetables.

Serve them with mashed potato, peas and onion gravy for a classic plate, or try roasted carrots and parsnips with a spoonful of mint sauce. For a lighter supper, pair them with lentils and leafy greens.

Keep raw sausages in the fridge, ideally on the bottom shelf in a covered container, and follow the use-by date. Freeze them before that date if you won’t use them in time.

Yes: swap them in equal numbers for pork sausages in bangers and mash, casseroles or toad in the hole. Lamb has a more distinctive flavour, so herbs such as rosemary or mint make a natural match.

No. Merguez are a type of North African sausage, usually strongly seasoned with spices such as cumin and chilli; ordinary lamb sausages may be milder and can be flavoured with herbs or other seasonings.