Bangers and Mash – a very traditional British meal!


banges and mash 2

Growing up in the UK you can’t avoid eating this very traditional meal made from sausages, mashed potato and onion gravy. In the popular imagination it was so important that Desperate Dan, a comic book character from my childhood, always finished each story with a large plate of Bangers & Mash.

By: Roy Hanney

Often eaten with peas or even baked beans this meal has to be a staple for food for the English. Even if your mother never cooked it certainly you would find this food on any cafe or pub menu. Where ever you eat it though, you need mustard preferably hot English mustard though the milder German or French will do at a push.

The term “bangers” apparently comes from before World War II and may even go as far back as 1919. It seems that back then there was a food shortage due to the war and sausages were made with water. Consequently, if you cooked them they were likely to explode like a firework. Thankfully modern sausages don’t do this.

In 1961 film stars Peter Sellers and Sophie Loren recorded a song praising this so British food singing “No wonder you’re so bony Joe, and skinny as a rake. Well then, give us a bash at the bangers and mash me mother used to make”. So how can you make this dish? Well its very simple and all you have to do is follow the instructions below. It’s also very cheap and takes around 20 minutes!

Food-Drink-Cartoons-Punch-1990-08-03-30-2What you need:

  • Sausages
  • Potatoes
  • Peas
  • Onions
  • Milk
  • Butter
  • Black Pepper
  • Instant Gravy

What you need to do:

  1. Peel and boil the potatoes, when they are soft mash them to a smooth paste adding milk, butter and black pepper.
  2. Make up the instant gravy by adding boiling water to a few spoonfuls of gravy mix.
  3. Fry the onions in a pan and add the sausages. Cook till brown and the onions are golden. Then pour over the gravy and let it simmer.
  4. Boil a pan of water and add the peas. When they are cooked drain them and they are ready to serve.

bangers and mash_doneServe on a plate nice and hot and indulge in what can only be described as ‘comfort food’ and imagine you are back in Blighty (a nickname for England) eating in a local cafe, at home eating your mothers cooking or even better – at school eating in the canteen. The better the sausages the better the taste of the meal so try and get some good ones.