First topic message reminder :

Hello folks - weather not so Springlike today so here I go with a question. There seems to be an explosion of people talking about homemade sausages lately. In our village at least 3 people have had sausage-making machines delivered and I think I read someone on this forum making kilos of them. I was just wondering why this sudden interest or is it sudden? I remember a few years back someone making them for sale, falling foul of Bulgarian laws but joining up with a Bulgarian factory. No idea if they still tasted like the British banger.
I know Bulgarian sausages are very overspiced for my taste but is it worth the investment and time making them for home consumption? I suppose if you are an addict - its something to do in the winter. What is going on?

coriolanus wrote:

What if someone falls over and breaks their leg whilst going to get a sausage or trying to supply an egg??

I don't know George, you tell me.

You have had years of hassle to get your shop fully insured, the right health and safety certificates in place, cold fridges, freezers, etc. I imagine it's not easy.

All I'm trying to say is that people should do the right thing and pay their dues to Bulgaria (as they did in the UK or elsewhere).

However, this topic is going off-topic so will await a reply from Esta (who is trying to reply as we speak, but not having much success).

coriolanus wrote:

Chris wrote:

then so be it!

You seem to have devolved from a somewhat aggressive position to a "
so be it"
position.

George ... :sigh:

My position was not agresssive at all, I asked for some clarification is all?

"
So be it"
comes to 'bartering' goods over the garden fence with a neighbour (please read my posts prior to replying), NOT when purchasing commercial goods.

If you get food poisoning from swapping garden produce with a neighbour then 'so be it', however, buying a commercial product and getting food posioning is a different matter.

If you continue this nonsense, this thread will be locked and you will be banned.

Simple!

Hi Chris

Third time lucky???

I am in no way trying to sell or advertise my sausages – The original poster was wondering why so many of their neighbours might all of a sudden be purchasing sausage making machines. I am explaining why I produce them, and why I produce so many. If they sound appealing (like I am advertising) to some, then that in itself also explains why I may make them.

When I say barter - I mean a friend will come over from the UK with some Tea bags for me, a jar of Branston pickle or some Mango chutney. I may give them a pack, a Bulgarian neighbour helped me out the other day – I gave him some. That is how they might be distributed, if they choose to accept and eat them, then that is fine. I have eaten much worse produced food, I am sure, in villagers houses without consequence.

Saying I have thought about selling them and actually doing it are worlds apart. I am doing what the villagers do - but the English version

On the matter of hygiene – obviously they are produced for us only – my normal household hygiene regime applies. Everything is washed in the dishwasher before and after use. I have cooked for friends and family for many years not once has anyone had food poisoning.....Just in case my household cleanliness is now in question.

Hi Esta

Many thanks for the clarification.

I just know that Bill Watson (near VT) set up a whole plant at his place for sausage production but had so much hassle getting the certificates, etc., that in the end he manufactured them in a nearby BG factory that had all the certificates in place.

Will post more later ...

Thanks again
Chris

Well I understood perfectly what Esta was doing and I can honestly say that some of the goods my Bulgarian neighbour barters with stuff from us would certainly be very suspect. It doesn't bother me at all but then I was brought up in a different generation and neither of us run a business.
I understand what Chris was saying, also perfectly and I know what Bill Watson went through to be certified and in the end I believe he got involved with a Bulgarian meat producing business.
Admin was only trying to say what many of us think and that is that Bulgaria has its health and hygiene rules and if you have a food business its not whether we agree with the rules or not but that we have to obey them. Those struggling with bureaucracy to start a legitimate business, should applaud what Chris is saying.

Chris wrote:

coriolanus wrote:

Chris wrote:

then so be it!

If you get food poisoning from swapping garden produce with a neighbour then 'so be it', however, buying a commercial product and getting food posioning is a different matter.

Thank you Chris you are quite right, what neighbours give you from their home produce is one thing and of course your own responsibility and decision to use or destroy the goods. I assume they take the necessary hygiene standards but there is always a risk and of course you have no comeback if you are off laid up/work for a week or so. Commercial products you have the health and safety laws to fall back on. So it depends on the individuals.

Oddy

I love sausages and also make my own over here, although not from our own pig.

I cannot believe, when Esta clearly stated it was for home consumption or bartering you have to ask if she has licences etc etc. It's like being back in the UK and the nanny state all over again.

Anyway I'm pleased there's another sausage fan in the country

Alfie wrote:

I love sausages and also make my own over here, although not from our own pig.

I cannot believe, when Esta clearly stated it was for home consumption or bartering you have to ask if she has licences etc etc. It's like being back in the UK and the nanny state all over again.

Anyway I'm pleased there's another sausage fan in the country

No one has said anything about making your own sausages, or that it is a wrong thing to do. All that is being said is if Anyone is going into business in making any produce, there are rules and regulations here as there are in the UK. Good luck to anyone that does

Can we get back to my original question which was, do any of you think that buying the equipment to make homemade sausages for two is worth the effort? Even if you freeze them, to recoup the cost would take ages. However, for those sausage addicts, I guess the answer would be 'yes'. How many of you have purchased this equipment and are you happy with it? I only asked the question because our eagle-eyed villagers have spotted 3 Brits taking delivery of sausage making machines and then Esta said she made her own so has it become some kind of obsession or, dare I say it, a bit of one-upmanship?
What happens if these homemade sausages end up in a restaurant outlet? Do health and hygiene cover this?

I think you have raised a very important question here oldun ? I suppose there is no way of knowing once these sausages have been exchanged with a Bulgarian where they will end up? and if they were to find their way into a restaurant and by that time became contaminated then who's responsibility is that? The Bulgaria is more than likely to say its not his fault and pass the blame onto the manufacturer albeit these were not sold for commercial use but who will the authorities believe? I fear it would be the person that made the sausages who would end up in court and I'm sure that the public health people would only prosecute the make and not the man in the middle.

oldun wrote:

Can we get back to my original question which was, do any of you think that buying the equipment to make homemade sausages for two is worth the effort? Even if you freeze them, to recoup the cost would take ages. However, for those sausage addicts, I guess the answer would be 'yes'. How many of you have purchased this equipment and are you happy with it? I only asked the question because our eagle-eyed villagers have spotted 3 Brits taking delivery of sausage making machines and then Esta said she made her own so has it become some kind of obsession or, dare I say it, a bit of one-upmanship?

In answer to your original query and in no way sarcastic;
we brought sausage making machinery with us from UK 4 years ago. We enthusiastically made our own bangers, to our own recipes/tastes and thoroughly enjoyed them. Bear in mind this was before the influx of UK food suppliers and before any Brit banger making industry existed here. We still have the equipment.
Not being people who are interested in raising livestock, we bought our meat from places like Metro and made bangers from that meat.
When you take into account all the ingredients, meat purchase, power usage, time, etc., the average cost for producing 1 kilo of bangers was approximately 16 lev. However, they tasted great.
No doubt, if you raise your own meat, butcher it, do all the other stuff you need to do, you could reduce the cost per kilo. Possibly by as much as 2 lev/kilo. :: loved em too!
By the way, we also made our own bangers in UK. Our local award winning butcher was great in giving us so much help and advice and insisted we give him some of ours to try. We did. He loved em.
It's possible that people are getting sausage making stuff, like we did in UK, because they just want to try. Maybe they want to recreate the flavours of snorkers not available here.
Believe it or not, there's a huge international home made sausage making forum on the interflap. Just for obsessed people like us.

Mr Alfie.

Oldun asked "
Is it worth buying a sausage making machine for two people?"


We did not bother with a sausage making machine - We made our first batch of sausages using a small bog standard "
kayma"
machine like the Bulgarian villagers do (about 30 Leva). A hand operated mincing machine - it sure makes your arm ache - but we help the villagers when they kill their pigs and they help us when we do ours.

When we had more pigs we bought the same style machine but much larger (70 Leva), which has a pulley wheel so it can be motorised. We also bought another mincing disk and a new funnel to make filling the sausages easier. I took us about 3 hours from start to finish to make about 120 sausages. Excluding cleaning up time - we cover the work area with new nylon to reduce this - rinse out the machine straightaway, then wash in the dishwasher.

Our current set up has cost under 100 Leva, and will last a fair while.

Sausage making machines are expensive - you can get sausage "
stuffing machines"
but you still have to have a mincer to mince the filling before it goes into the "
stuffer"
.

For us it was worth it - there are 3 of us: myself, my husband and my son. We have sausages once a week maybe, so they last us a while in the freezer. In our opinion for three/ four hours work, 4 times a year it is worth it.

Last year we killed 3 pigs - The reason we keep pigs is that it is hard to get good roasting joints, gammons etc. The pork from a pig reared in a more organic environment tastes like the pork my mother used to eat when she was little, so she tells me. I hardly ever ate roast pork back in the UK. When you eat "
zele manja"
as no doubt most living here will have, you do not get a proper taste of the pork as the flavour is lost completely.

For this reason we also have sheep - 2 ewes, which have produced 3 lambs this year. The meat from these is fantastic - lets face it they only graze on grass they walk for many kilometers every day with the village shepherd - I would suggest they produce 100% organic meat.

For us it is absolutely NO WAY one upmanship - we just enjoy good food - Simple. Oh and good wine .... but that is another topic!!



By the way - I only process the end product - I have nothing to do with mucking out or slaughtering - this is all my hubby's department!!

Quote :

By the way - I only process the end product - I have nothing to do with mucking out or slaughtering - this is all my hubby's department!!

Now why does that not surprise me

:Good post:Brilliant replies from Esta and Alfie. So would it be possible to just buy the attachment for filling the sausage and fix to an ordinary mincer? Where do you get the skins? I guess it would have to be the same make of course. It sounds like that's what you had Esta. I love the idea of rearing pigs and sheep but its not an option for me at my age. Would have loved to when I was younger but feeding the chickens, dog, rabbit and cats is enough for me nowadays and my other half mucks out the barn!
I think some people adopt a pig from a neighbour and pay for its upkeep but I don't know how this works. Anyone know?

Quote :

So would it be possible to just buy the attachment for filling the sausage and fix to an ordinary mincer?

Yes - would recommend you get one as close to the diameter of the sausage you wish to produce. Makes filling easier and quicker!!

Quote :

Where do you get the skins?

We tend to do our shopping in Yambol - there are a couple of good butchers where we get them from - quality does vary - sometimes they are a bit tough.

Quote :

By the way - I only process the end product - I have nothing to do with mucking out or slaughtering - this is all my hubby's department!!

Quote :

Now why does that not surprise me

.... you have got me sussed!!!