Sometimes the best holiday memories come from the simplest places. While spending Christmas in Waipu, just north of Auckland, I ducked into a local café and was met with the unmistakable smell of freshly baked sausage rolls – golden, flaky and clearly homemade.

They weren’t fancy or overdone, just honest, comforting food done well. One bite was enough to send me straight back to the kind of sausage rolls many of us remember from country bakeries and family gatherings. Naturally, once home, I couldn’t stop thinking about them – so I set about recreating an easy version that delivers the same crowd-pleasing results.

Easy Homemade Sausage Rolls

Ingredients

500g good-quality pork or beef sausages (or sausage mince)
1 small onion, finely grated
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
1 carrot, finely grated
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten (for glazing)
Sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C (fan-forced 180°C) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
If using sausages, remove the skins and place the meat in a bowl.
Add onion, garlic, carrot, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Season lightly and mix well.
Cut each sheet of puff pastry in half. Spoon the sausage mixture along the centre of each strip.
Roll the pastry to enclose the filling, sealing the edge with a little beaten egg.
Cut into desired lengths and place seam-side down on the tray.
Brush with egg and sprinkle with seeds if using.
Bake for 25–30 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Serve warm with tomato relish – just like a good café sausage roll should be.