Tom Aiken's ultimate sausage sandwich

"It is always best to use higher welfare products (labelled Freedom Food, outdoor reared, outdoor bred, free-range or organic), this gives me assurance and 100% confidence in the products that I am buying."

Ingredients
150ml vegetable oil
8 higher welfare Cumberland sausages
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 ripe tomatoes or beef tomatoes
2 higher welfare smoked streaky bacon rashers
8 slices of milk bread or unsweetened brioche
Butter
HP sauce or tomato Ketchup
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180?/Gas 4. Place a frying pan (preferably one that can be put in the oven) over a medium heat and add the oil. When it’s hot, add the higher welfare sausages and gently colour them for 2-3 minutes. When they are evenly coloured, add the onion slices and place the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes. Move the higher welfare sausages around every 5 minutes or so. If you don’t have a frying pan that can be put in the oven, transfer the higher welfare sausages to a baking dish.

Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes into rounds 2-3mm thick and place them on a baking tray – you will need about 4 slices per serving. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and warm through in the oven for a few minutes. Whilst they warm, grill the higher welfare bacon until it is very crispy on both sides.

Once the higher welfare sausages are cooked, transfer them to a plate and keep warm, leaving the onions in the pan. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook the onions for 2-3 minutes, until caramelised.

Toast the bread and spread with butter. Cut the higher welfare sausages in half lengthways and spread them with HP sauce or Ketchup. Lay the higher welfare sausages on the toast; add the tomatoes and the higher welfare bacon, then the onions. Add another dollop of HP or Ketchup, cover with another piece of toast and press down gently before cutting the sandwich in half. Repeat to make the remaining sandwiches and serve hot.

Tom Aikens’s new book Easy is published by Ebury Press