Bangers : The Winner Is…

Many years ago, I made my first business trip to Britain. I remember that first morning – still in a jet-ag induced mental fog – stumbling down to the hotel's  breakfast buffet. I piled my plate high with eggs and potatoes and sausages. The sausages were Bangers. They had a different flavor than the normal pork breakfast sausage I was used to.  I loved them.

I later learned they were called bangers. Recently, I found myself craving the flavor of bangers. There are a couple of English pubs in my city that serve a pretty good bangers and mash, but finding a store than sells authentic-tasting bangers has been impossible. The local high-end specialty grocer sells bangers but believe me, they taste nothing like a real banger.

You can find anything on the INternet these days. Typeing 'British Bangers' into google revealed a handful of specialty butchers and shops  proclaiming to offer authentic-tasting British Bangers. I put them to the test and today I present the winners.

Note: I received no compensation for any of this.  None of the retailers was aware that I was taste-testing and all products were paid for with my own funds.

Balson Butchers

Balson Butchers is a British company in business since 1535.  (yes, 1535!) They have a presence in the USA, specifically Asheville, NC from which US web-based orders are shipped.

Their bangers arrived in one-pound packages, with 5 sausages per pound. Authentic.  Yummy. 

You might think that getting something cold or frozen to me here in Arizona during the summer would be an expensive task, but no. The bangers arrived in a styrofoam cooler packed in ice packs. The best news is that this shipping is not overly expensive. Their small cooler holds 10 pounds and adds just $15 to the price of your order.  There are no other shipping charges.

Harold Woods Pork Bangers

Goodwoods British Market is in The Woodlands, Texas and is an importer of a wide variety of British foods (Have a craving for Marmite? You can get it as Goodwoods.) 

Goodwoods offers several variations of bangers and I tried them all. The have Cumberland Bangers, Lincolnshire Bangers, Beef Bangers, and just plan Pork Bangers. I'm sure they are all authentic representations of the bangers available in their respective regions. The plain Pork Bangers taste like the bangers I used to get on my trips.

The downside is that shipping is expensive. Your order is shipped Fed-Ex Second Day Air and there is a surcharge for the handling, dry ice, and the styrofoam box.

Expensive, Unfortunately

Unfortunately, both of these alternatives are expensive ($9-$10 per pound). The folks at Balnsons tell me that I should be able to find their product at Costco during the Christmas season at a much better price. Otherwise they are too expensive to eat every morning, but great for an occasional treat.