There are some recipes that become part of the fabric of your life. Old faithfuls that just keep on giving, loved by everyone, demanded in advance by guests, the recipe usually taken home by someone. They’re often deceptively simple.

This is one of those.

I got the original recipe for this (now substantially adapted) many, many years from a little Marie Claire bunches book given to me by a friend. Over time I added a few things just to boost the flavour a bit more.

I’ve made them more often than I can remember, and they’ve never been unwelcome. When I made them today I wondered if they’d become a bit dated, but I gather not: they disappeared in about five minutes. There’s something about sausage rolls that appeal to the kid in us, whatever our age.

The herbs I use vary, depending on what’s in the garden, but I will usually buy a bunch of coriander.  The main thing is to use a good lot of fresh herbs, but the actual make-up of it can vary quite a bit and still taste lovely.

Thai chicken sausage rolls

750g chicken mince (I ground mine at home from organic free-range chicken thighs, but that was because there was no mince available at the store. The texture is a bit better if you grind it finer than standard chicken mince, but it doesn’t really matter, the standard mince is fine).

In a small blender until finely chopped:
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 red onion (yellow will also do)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
knob of fresh ginger, grated
1 chili chopped (optional, for me it depends on who it’s for)
A couple handfuls of herbs (depending on what you have): a bunch of coriander (leaves and stems), half a bunch basil leaves, Vietnamese mint. (You could also have mint or oregano, whatever is fresh and nice).

Thoroughly combine the mince and the contents of the blender in a bowl with:
1tbs ground coriander
1/2tbs ground cumin
1tsp salt (to taste)
fresh ground black pepper
2tbs sweet chilli sauce

4 sheets of puff pastry (I buy butter puff at the supermarket, because I’m not good at puff pastry and life’s too short).

I cut each sheet into six (cut in half once along the long side of the rectangle, then take each half and cut into three equal rectangles). Put a big dessertspoon of the mix on each rectangle and roll it up.

Bake at 200C for about half an hour.

Verdict: always popular. And yes, using bought puff pastry is fine!