Today, my cookbook Dinner is released in stores across the UK! Marking this memorable day with a memorable English dish with a memorable name – the infamous toad in the hole. Sausage + giant Yorkshire pudding + gravy. You know it’s going to be good!
🇬🇧🇮🇪 Dinner released in the UK & Ireland TODAY!! 🇮🇪🇬🇧
Today is a very special day. My cookbook Dinner hits stores across the UK and Ireland – SO EXCITING!! For those who pre-ordered, my book will be delivered straight to your door – how good is that!?
I wanted to do a special recipe to mark the day. Not just a recipe from the cookbook – too obvious. 🙂 Instead, I’m sharing a brand new British classic recipe. So now you’ve got 130 recipes in the cookbook to make – plus this toad in the hole recipe! Because we can never have enough good recipes, right? 😇
➤ Cookbook release in other countries: US/Canada 28th March 2023, more countries – stay tuned! More information here.
Excitement evidence in this short home movie – my infamous daggy happy dance. 😂 (PS My usual “official” recipe how-to video is above the recipe card, as always!)
PS Trust me on the mayo! It’s a restaurant secret, brought into my kitchen via the English Chef at my food bank, RecipeTin Meals. I was dubious too, but it really works. Makes Yorkshire pudding more stable – rises more, crispier, deflates far less.
We love hilarious British food names
Toad in the hole, bangers and mash, spotted dick. Be warned – if you intend to google any of these, be sure to add the word “recipe” to your search. I don’t want to be the cause of corrupting your innocence!! 😱😂
Today, it’s toad in the hole
Toad in the hole is a traditional British dish comprised of sausages baked into a giant Yorkshire pudding, typically served with an onion gravy. Yorkshire pudding is similar to popovers in the US and Dutch baby pancakes. Think – puffy edges with crispy ridges and soft insides that taste like savoury crepes.
Normally Yorkshire puddings are made in muffin tins for individual servings alongside roasts. But with toad in a hole, it’s a giant one that you tear into. Look at that cavity made for filling with gravy. YES! These are the food moments I live for!
(PS Bangers and mash = sausages and mash. Spotted dick = dessert pudding studded with raisins ie the spots. It is not in the shape of a log!👼🏻)
Why it’s called “toad in the hole”
Rumour has it that this dish is called “toad in the hole” because the sausages nestled among the crispy/puffy yorkshire pudding resembles toads peeking out of a hole.
I’m not sure I see that. Maybe without my contact lenses, or perhaps after a few wines, my imagination might stretch that far.
But that’s ok! We can just giggle at the name and enjoy the awesome eating experience that is toad in a hole!!
Toad in the hole in the US
In the US, toad in the hole refers to a breakfast dish where an egg is cooked in a round hole cut out of sandwich bread. This recipe I’m sharing today is the English dish, and it’s typically served as a meal. Though, add a fried egg and I’d happily have this for breakfast!
What you need
The sausages
Pork sausages are traditional though you can really use any type of sausages you want – beef, chicken, flavoured, etc. And yes, we are going to pan-fry them lightly before popping in the oven because then we have sausage drippings to make our gravy = tastier gravy!
Couple of tips on choosing sausages:
Size – We don’t want the sausages that are too large else there is not enough Yorkshire pudding surface area. Look for sausages around 85g/3oz each – nice size to cook 8 sausages in total, 2 sausages per serving. If yours are much larger, consider using less.
Better sausages – Look for sausages where you can see “specks” of meat/fat chunks in them (more real meat) rather than the really economical ones that are a smooth uniform pink colour (more fillers).
Toad in the hole batter
The batter used for toad in the hole is actually a Yorkshire pudding batter. Here’s what you need to make it (and yes, I explain the mayonnaise – trust me!):
Mayonnaise – Just 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise gives the notoriously fragile Yorkshire pudding stability so they puff up more and deflate less. It really works! It’s a neat trick taught to me by my English chef (Stephen Fixter) at RecipeTin Meals, my food bank. He was taught this when he worked in pubs and restaurants back in the UK.
Sounds like a blasphemy to destroy a traditional recipe with mayonnaise of all things, but I tried it with and without and can confirm unequivocally that it definitely makes the Yorkies more stable.
Beef drippings – This is beef fat, the traditional fat used for Yorkshire puddings and toad in a hole. It has a higher smoke point than most oils so is ideal to heat in the oven until smoking hot so when cold batter is poured in, it sizzles and the shock of the heat/cold makes the Yorkshire pudding puff up more.
Plus, it has better flavour than plain oil. Not beefy, but a nice savoury flavour unlike oil which is tasteless!
Where to find it – Sold in tubs, firm like butter, in the fridge alongside butter in large grocery stores in Australia (Coles, Woolies). Scoop then melt to use.
Substitutions / alternatives Duck fat and goose fat would make an excellent substitute with a similar high smoke point and similar “clean” flavoured fat. Lard (pork fat) will also work great but will give the yorkies subtle pork flavour (whereas beef, duck and goose have more neutral flavour).
Oil options – Use vegetable or canola oil for baking and searing sausages, and butter for the gravy (for flavour). Don’t use butter for the sausage searing or in the hot pan, it will burn.
Use leftover beef drippings to replace the fat in Bangers & Mash, gravy, mushroom gravy and duck fat potatoes (beef drippings is similar to duck fat). It’s better than oil, better than butter!
Eggs – A little unusual perhaps, but I’m going to ask you to measure out 250ml / 1 cup of eggs which might be 4 or maybe 5, or even 6 eggs. Why? Because for Yorkshire puddings, being accurate with the quantity of batter really matters to a successful outcome.
If only all those selfish chickens would lay eggs that are exactly the same size, always, then we wouldn’t have to measure our eggs!
Flour and milk – Just ordinary flour and ordinary (cow) milk. I haven’t tried this with non-cow milk.
Onion gravy
Toad in the hole is traditionally served with onion gravy. Starting with sautéed onion goes a long way to make the gravy tastier when you don’t have a pan of roast meat drippings or a homemade beef stock!
Beef drippings or butter – Beef drippings will give your gravy the best flavour but butter makes a fine substitute.
Beef stock – Use low sodium, else your gravy may end up too salty. (PS If you want to make a royalty-worthy toad in the hole, make your gravy with homemade beef stock. You’ll need to add a bit more salt as homemade beef stock is not salted.)
Flour – to thicken the gravy.
Onion – just regular brown / yellow onions. Red onions also works just fine.
Garlic – for flavour base.
Worcestershire sauce – not pictured, sorry! 🙂 Adds a touch of extra savoury flavour. But it’s not critical if you don’t have it, I only use 1/2 teaspoon. Much more and I find it starts to taste too Worcestershire sauce-y.
OK, ingredients covered. Onto making it!!
How to make toad in the hole
It’s actually very straight forward to make. The secret for a great toad in the hole lies more in the method of how it’s made and obviously having the BEST Yorkshire pudding batter (thank you Chef Stephen!).
The toad in the hole part
Many recipes opt to shortcut the method and bake the sausages from raw. While this works, it means you miss out on the sausage drippings left in the frying pan which is then used to make the gravy. Which means the gravy is not as tasty.
Moral to the story? It’s worth the extra 4 minutes to brown the sausages on the stove.
Batter first – Make the Yorkshire pudding batter first. All the ingredients are just whisked up in one bowl using a hand whisk. Nice and easy. Then refrigerate until required. The cold batter hitting the hot fat in the pan helps the Yorkshire pudding puff up.
Drippings in pan – Put the beef drippings in a 23 x 33cm pan (9 x 13″). Beef drippings are scoop-able like butter so scoop (measure) and plonk into the pan.
Heat drippings until hot, for 15 minutes, while you prepare the gravy ingredients and brown the sausages. As noted above, we want our cold batter to hit hot drippings for impressive Yorkshire pudding puff-age!
Brown sausages on the stove in a pan that we will make the gravy in afterwards. Brown them all over but keep them raw inside as they will cook more in the oven.
PRO TIP: Try to keep one side of the sausage just lightly browned, and we will make this side face up in the oven so when it comes out, it will be perfectly browned. If you brown the sausages too aggressively on the stove, the sausages may be on the wrong side of “well browned” after baking in the oven. Not a deal breaker, just a tip!
Sausages in pan – Working quickly (to reduce heat loss) remove the hot pan from the oven then place the sausages in. Arrange them so the walls are kept clear else they may inhibit the batter from puffing up around the sides of the pan.
Pour batter into the pan. It should be about 1/3 of the way up the sausages.
Bake 25 minutes in a hot 220°C/425°F (200°C fan) oven. Do not open the oven for the first 20 minutes else it may collapse!
Puffed perfection! Your toad in the hole should be impressively puffed and golden around the edges, plus some puff-age between the sausages in the centre of the pan.
Be prepared for deflation! It WILL deflate. However, thanks to that dab of mayonnaise you used, it will deflate much less than usual recipes!
The onion gravy
Make your gravy while the toad in the hole is in the oven (25 minutes). The gravy takes around 10 minutes from start to finish so just keep it warm until ready to serve.
Sauté onion in beef drippings (or butter) for 8 minutes or until deep golden brown. This is key not only to flavour but also to help make your gravy a deep brown colour rather than disappointing pale, so don’t be tempted to shortcut this step!
In the last 30 seconds or so, add the garlic and cook until golden.
Mix flour into the onion and stir for 1 minute. Mix well so it’s evenly dispersed throughout the onion – this will make your gravy lump free!
Beef stock – Slowly pour the stock in while stirring constantly. Marvel how your gravy is lump-free! Stir in Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until it thickens into a gravy consistency. Don’t forget that gravy always thickens slightly when you take it off the stove so don’t let it get too thick while on the stove. If it gets too thick, just loosen it up with a touch of water.
Then keep warm until ready to serve!
Serving toad in the hole
To serve toad in the hole, cut it using a small knife then use a spatula to pick it up and transfer onto plates.
Then – douse with gravy. Lots of it. Especially if you’ve got greens on the side. Because vegetables become so much more interesting when drowning in gravy, right??!!
That’s a serious plate of comfort food, right there.
You know, I shouldn’t tell you this, but sometimes when I’m testing recipes, I start to lose steam towards the end. I find myself extra grateful to have a team who can help out with testing things over and over again. Like the Mini Pavlovas. That was particularly painful to finalise. There’s only so much pav a girl can eat!
But toad in a hole? Let’s just say I was perfectly happy making this repeatedly. It’s me on a plate. Pure comfort food. That combination of the crispy edges of the Yorkshire pudding with the soft insides, the juicy golden brown sausages, all doused with gravy (DOUSED, my friends!).
Aggggh. Such good food! – Nagi x
PS Serve this with a side of peas or other steamed greens (broccoli, broccolini, carrots). You don’t need to get creative because you’ve got stacks of gravy for dousing. (Word of the day).
Watch how to make it
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Toad in the hole
Ingredients
- 700g/1.4lb pork sausages, or other sausage (8 x 85g/3oz, Note 1)
- 10g / 2 tsp beef drippings OR canola/veg oil (Note 4)
Yorkshire pudding Batter:
- 250 ml / 1 cup eggs , lightly whisked (4-5 large eggs, yes, I need you to measure! Note 2)
- 1 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 3/4 cup milk , full fat
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise , full-fat (secret ingredient! See Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
- Pinch white pepper
- 50g (1/4 cup) beef drippings OR canola/veg oil (Note 4)
Onion gravy:
- 30g / 2 tbsp beef drippings OR unsalted butter (Note 4)
- 2 onions , halved, cut into 7 mm / 1/4″ wedges
- 1 garlic clove , finely minced
- 3 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 2 cups beef stock (broth) , low sodium
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
Instructions
- Batter – Whisk eggs in a bowl, then whisk in flour until lump free. Whisk in water, milk, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Place in the fridge until required.
- Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan). Put the 1/4 cup beef drippings in a 23 x 33cm metal pan (9 x 13"). Place in the oven for 15 minutes to melt and become very hot.
- Brown sausages – Heat the 2 tsp (10g) of drippings in a pan over medium high heat. Brown the sausages all over, but keep one side just lightly browned (this side will brown more in the oven). Keep them raw inside. Remove onto a plate.
- Assemble – Take batter out of fridge and whisk. Working quickly, take the hot pan out of oven. Spread sausages in the pan, lightly browned side up, keeping clear of the pan walls (Note 5 for arranging tip). Pour the batter in around the sausages.
- Bake – Bake 25 minutes on the top shelf until the sides puff up and is golden brown. The top of the edges should be nice and crispy!
- Serve immediately with onion gravy! Expect some deflation – though far less than typical recipes thanks to the mayo.
Onion gravy (Note 6):
- Brown onion – Add beef drippings into the pan used for browning the sausages. Melt over high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring constantly, until nicely browned (~5 minutes). Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add flour and stir for 1 minute so it's well mixed through the onions (= lump-free gravy!).
- Add stock – Slowly pour in beef stock, stirring as you go. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
- Thicken – Bring to a simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes until thickens into a gravy. Keep warm until ready to use!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
The best cookbook-making-sidekick a girl could ever ask for. Thank you for being there every step of the way, Dozer!
Hi Nagi, my late nana used to make this when we stayed on the school holidays. Something my children have never had, so off to the supermarket today! I got your book here in Australia on day of release and bought 4 extras to give as gifts to friends. They have all been converted to RTE. I can only imagine how excited all your overseas followers are about getting their hands on your book. Happy cooking everybody, and congrats Nagi on this achievement!
I didn’t want to jeopardise my innocence by googling “Spotted Dick”, so I asked my darling Welsh husband what it was. Answer: “Oh, it’s like a Roly-Poly with raisins!” A-ha. (Guess who ended up on Google … 😉 )
Omg. This looks seriously yummy. Thank you. And also I love reading your recipes. And comments for all the lovely casual way we Australasians speak. Why say a word the long way when you can shorten it! At work they have trouble with my arvo but like the good as gold lol. Anyway It was like a breath of fresh air to read this morning. I’m in the states as a Kiwi and the formal way of speaking is tiresome after a while. I’m missing our culture at the mo. So ta!! 🙂
Also saw this on the American Amazon site.
Nagi Maehashi
RecipeTin Eats Dinner: 150 Recipes for Fast, Everyday Meals
4.8 out of 5 stars(35) Reviews
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Too true. Way to go Nagi. Love you style and your recipes. And your fun videos eating. Aloha Meg. 🙂
Hi Nagi, according to the tracker, my book is at home waiting for me, can’t wait to dive into it. Thanks
Nagi, I live in California, USA. What kind of sausage did do you suggest? All I can think of is breakfast sausage and that’s not the flavor I want. My cookbook arrives in March. I’m so excited! Thank you.
Sometimes Safeway have the kind of sausages you’d use for this recipe. But I can’t find them on their site. Grr. The British Depot or Jolly Posh will ship British bangers. That’s the name you’re looking for.
Also Safeway says they’re getting these in.
Taylors Sausage British Bangers
Also Trader Joe’s sometimes have Irish Bangers which are the same thing.
Hope you can make this soon. I’m hunting out sausies this morning too. :-).
Aloha Meg.
Thank you, Meg! I have English Bangers in my freezer now. I can’t wait to make this. I love Nagi’s recipes.
You lucky thing. :-). I haven’t found any on my travels yet this morning. I hope you enjoy the hell out of them. :-).
The Aldi’s by me in Florida had bangers last week
I subscribe to your blog only, love your energy and you make me smile! I discovered toads in the hole years ago in a Sunset “Picnics” cookbook. It used browned bulk breakfast sausage, not links, so that’s what I did. It was served with strawberry yogurt. My kids loved it, I still make it the same way. I tried the links and my grandkids hated it (so did my oldest son 😉 ! Found more eggs better, and i like the health factor. But its a ratio, consistency thing for the batter. I’ll
try the mayo – more eggs. Your smile is contagious. Thank you.
Can you use corn starch instead of flour in the batter?
Hi Nagi.Your beautiful cookbook and Dozer arrived in Scotland today.Sitting here like Dozer,slobbering over he recipes.
Because there are only two of us I still make a regular size Yorkshire Pud recipe and freeze the ones we don’t eat.
They keep quite well in the freezer. In the UK and Canada you can actually buy frozen Yorkies. Don’t defrost them, pop them in a hot over for about 7- 10 mins. and they crisp up nicely.
Hi Nagi! I live in the U.S. and am wondering if beef drippings is the same think as tallow? In my Google search this comes up as a comparison. Patiently awaiting a release fir your new cookbook!😁👍TU
And, beef suet is another name
Yep, that’s just another name for beef fat. 🙂
Thank you for confiming! 😊 Happy cooking!
Just pre-ordered your cookbook on Amazon in Canada! 🇨🇦
I just watched Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and there is the funniest scene involving Toad in the Hole (and its translation!). I can’t wait to try this one. Congrats on UK release; counting down the days till I get mine in the US!
Hi Nagi I’m a Yorkshire man and I regularly make Toad and my Yorkies always rise I think as one other review said too many eggs in yours. What I find interesting is the addition of mayo as a stabiliser ? I will try that
John M (in the UK)
Hi Nagi ……Update. I was sceptical about the mayo but tried it last night…..Works!! I am amazed. Thanks
John M (in the UK)
Hello, it can also be ordered on Amazon in France and delivered in a few days. I guess it works in most european countries. 😊
WOW really!!!! I didn’t know that! I’ll have to look into this, Amazon must work differently in Europe 🙂 N x PS Fricassee is the dish on the cover!
Hi, I do confirm I ordered the book from Amazon France and it was delivered the following day. In english… bien sûr😀
I orderd my book on 14th Feb and it was deliverd next day from Waterstones (I am in the UK) Amazon didnt have them in stock Waterstones was also cheaper then Amazon!
if you’re talking about the cookbook, you can also order it from Amazon in the US (well, once it’s available here in March) 🙂
Really looking forward to the book being delivered in the next couple of days here in the UK.
I’ve always roasted the sausages in the tin for 20-25 minutes or so then, when the batter us ready to go in, turn them over so the ‘light’ side goes nice and brown. It also means that the tin has all that sausage fat in it already nice and hot.
I will try the mayonnaise tip and see how that goes – it’s something I’ve never heard of here before.
As to the onion gravy, I make it with Marigold vegetable bouillon instead of beef stock and a scoop of Colmans mustard powder with the Lea & Perrins – makes it a tad lighter but with a little kick
Nup, Nup, Nup to your Yorkshire pudding batter. Too many eggs. My mother made excellent Yorkshire pudding but put on 7 children only I inherited the gene to make puddings and Toad in the Hole successfully. The only ingredients needed for the batter is sifted plain flour, pepper and salt, milk, and a single egg. You also need to abuse your oven. What you are after is essentially a runny pancake batter. The dripping needs to be smoking hot so when the cooled batter (yes, make ahead and rest in fridge), sizzles when poured in. The oven needs to be seriously hot. I am 63 and have been cooking traditional Yorkshire puddings and Toad in the Hole for years. For once, one of your recipes does not sit right with me. I’m reknowed by family, friends and a parade of homestay students for how I traditionally cook this dish. Mayonnaise? Yeah nH 😳
Hi Kim,
Being older and more experienced is great ! It’s even better if you can be nicer, kinder, and more positive when sharing 😀 I would definitely try Nagi’s recipe !!
What a wonderful, appropriate response to the initial comment! Made my day, and reflects my feelings exactly.
Wow, way to be rude about it without even trying it?! Her recipes are designed for everyone to be able to successfully cook her dishes. You said in your comment you are the only one out of your 7 siblings who can cook your mother’s recipe… well using Nagi’s recipe, everyone should be able to.
Too bad – this is NOT your recipe- so move on do yours as you prefer.
Agree with Millie. You have not even tried the recipe Kim. How do you know your way is superior? Only thing superior here is your attitude.
If your cooking is as “reknown” as your spelling no wonder you don’t have your own cookbook.
Tapping on my phone and there is no edit function to fix the typos. I’m actually a book editor of many years and it’s professionals-level membership of two industry organisations with tiered memberships. Calling out typos on social media is generally regarded as poor form.
One of my all-time favourites! I’ve never put mayonnaise in the batter but I’ll give it a try 😊
One of my all-time favourites! I’ve never put mayonnaise in the battery but I’ll give it a try 😊
My book is due to be delivered today! While (im)patiently waiting I am spending the morning getting all my tasks done so that I can sit down and ‘devour’ it when it arrives. Many thanks to you and Dozer for all your hard work and inspiration xx
I’m a Brit, living in the UK and I love your website AND I love toad in the hole with onion gravy. So much so that I made it for Christmas Day a couple of years ago.
But, guess what? Today marks the start of our kitchen refurb. There are currently four men with power tools taking it apart. I won’t have my new kitchen for six weeks. SIX WEEKS!
I was looking for a special recipe to launch the new kitchen when it’s done. This is going to be it. Can NOT wait.
It’s kitchen christening worthy!!! I am totally obsessed with toad in a hole, now that we’ve cracked the crispy yorkies!! N xx