Ingredients

• 1 large cup plain flour
• pinch salt
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup free-range eggs
• 1 tbsp malt vinegar
• 125g/4oz beef dripping (you can substitute with vegetable oil)
• 6 just cooked top quality sausages
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions
• sliced
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp gravy browning or soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 150ml/5fl oz dark ale or beer
• 250ml/9fl oz beef stock
• 50g/2oz cold butter
• cut into cubes

Directions

• Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
• Combine the water and milk in a jug.
• Add the eggs and half of the milk and water mixture to the flour and whisk until smooth.
• Add the rest of the milk and water mixture and the vinegar and whisk to combine. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/440F/Gas 6.
• Place a tablespoonful of dripping (or vegetable oil) into each of six holes of a muffin tin. Place the tin into the oven to heat the dripping to smoking hot.
• Carefully pour a sixth of the batter into each hole with dripping or oil
• then add a sausage to each.
• Return to the oven to cook for 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door during this time!
• For the gravy
• heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until soft.
• Add the sugar and tomato purée and cook for five minutes.
• Add the gravy browning or soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• ale and stock. Bring to the boil
• then reduce the heat to simmer for 25 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and add the butter a little at a time
• whisking to combine to make a glossy sauce.
• Remove the toad in the holes from the oven and place each onto a plate. Pour over a generous amount of gravy and serve.