Best Bonfire Night sausages in the Big Smoke

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Gravy train: the five vintage-style S&M Cafés dotted around London offer 15 different sausages and four varieties of mash — the perfect hearty food to enjoy on Bonfire Night

Top takeaway: Banger Bros in Portebello Road

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As fireworks go off around town tonight, our thoughts turn to bangers of a different kind, namely our favourite firework food: sausages. British bangers, Aussie snags, German wurst, French saucisson, Polish kielbasa… call them what you will, we're bonkers about bangers. Hot, satisfying, good fast food on the go, they're the kind of snack you can eat around the bonfire without taking off your woolly mittens. We're talking proper cold winter night stuff.

And this week is also British Sausage Week, a time to celebrate the best we can buy. No more dodgy sausages chock-full of goodness knows what. This week, let's insist upon wholesome meaty sausages, the only gourmet meal that really does give you bang(ers) for your buck.

Here's where to go for sausages that will make your bonfire night sizzle...

S&M Café
Contrary to the cheeky name, S&M Café, is all about whipping up fun in the form of tasty plates of sausages and mash. Your gran would approve of the vintage caff surrounds and nostalgic dishes including toad-in-the-hole (£8.95), and shepherd's pie (£8.50). Plates come piled high with a choice of 15 sausages and four different mashes (spring onion and cheddar is a fave). If you're going out tonight, the new “Gamekeeper” (£8.50), a posh sausage feast of wild boar and pheasant sausages with parsnip mash, should keep you going.
S&M Café has sites at The O2, Islington, Portobello Road, Spitalfields and Leadenhall Market, with a sixth opening next week at Smithfield meat market. See sandmcafe.co.uk

Kurz und Lang
Hungry night owls know a post-club sausage beats a kebab hands down. Kurz und Lang has got the late-night sausage scene sewn up with its fantastic array of German wurst, including Berlin-style currywurst, herby Nürnbergers and plump Bavarian boiled white sausages (all wurst £3.90, wurst with potato cubes, £4.90). By day, Kurz und Lang does a brisk lunch trade thanks to its hearty meal deals from £4.90 and its authentic, gluten-free German sausages. Mash fans will need to branch out: at Kurz und Lang, the accompaniments are more typically German — sauerkraut (£1), chewy pretzels (£1.40) and fried potatoes (£1.50-£2.50) all feature on the menu.
Kurz und Lang, 1 St John Street, Smithfield, EC1 (020 7993 2923)

Gourmet Hotdog Company
They call them “the most advanced hotdogs ever”. Yikes. What that means is that the owners of this Soho joint have developed a production process allowing them to create “dogs” in a range of flavours we didn't know were possible, including salmon and dill, Thai chicken or mushroom. For the less healthy options, try the Northerner (£3.95), with mushy peas and pork scratchings or the Full English (£3.95) with baked beans and grilled tomatoes. Things get even more interesting when you start piling the toppings on your bespoke banger — there are more than 20 to choose from including poppadoms, barbecue sauce, vegetable crisps and rocket (three for £1).
The Gourmet Hotdog Company, 37 Berwick Street, W1
(020 7287 5191)

Benugo Bar & Kitchen
Like the idea of a pint of prawns? How do you feel about a pint of sausage rolls then? Film fans and sausage lovers crowd into Benugo Bar & Kitchen at BFI Southbank every night for ethically sourced, simply prepared British nosh that's perfect for pre-film snacking. Those yummy homemade rolls (£3.50 a pint) are a case in point. For a proper sit-down meal, try a hearty plate of Islington butcher Frank Godfrey's bangers (from a daily changing selection) with mash and rich onion gravy (£12), washed down with a bottle of red (from £14.50). Benugo's riverside location makes it a top pick for some scoff after the Lord Mayor's fireworks show this Saturday.
Benugo Bar & Kitchen, BFI, Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 (020 7401 9000)

Mother Mash
We mustn't overlook the world's mash lovers, even though sausage-in-a-bun seems to be taking over. Mother Mash is even more devoted to mash than it is to its sausages. Here you choose your mash first, with five varieties including DIY, which allows you to add horseradish, pesto, olive oil and so on. This comes mashed (smooth and creamy) or bashed (with a bit of ­texture to it).Only then do you worry about the sausages, with a choice of eight including lamb and mint or beef and Guinness (£6.95 for a meal).
Mother Mash, 26 Ganton Street, W1 (020 7494 9644)

Banger Bros
This Portobello takeaway offers globe-trotting grub based on top ingredients with assured provenance and the kind of international flavours you'd find in a trendy gastropub — only in a bun and for under a fiver. There's a piquant Moroccan lamb merguez sausage with mint yogurt and tomato relish; a smoked Toulouse with sticky sweet caramelised onion marmalade, or Sutton Hoo chicken sausage with cos lettuce and lemon mayo, all at a very fair £3.95, plus 50p for extra toppings like chargrilled piquillo peppers. The puds include set vanilla cream with pistachio and thyme crust, or bitter chocolate brownie mousse.
Banger Bros, 225a Portobello Road, W11 (020 7229 9147)

 

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