Easy Homemade Lorne Sausage Recipe - Scottish Scran (2024)

Is it Lorne Sausage or Square Sausage? We asked the members on our Scottish Scran Facebook, and there was much debate, alongside all sorts of extra names too!

“Slice” or “Sliced“, “Square Slice” or “Flat Sausage” or our new favourite, “Squasage”, were a few of the other suggestions as well.

But whatever name you decide to go with, this simple but tasty meat square is a Scottish classic and is just perfect packed inside a morning roll or as part of a full Scottish breakfast.

For the rest of the recipe, we’ll mostly refer to it as Lorne or Lorne sausage since that seemed to be the most popular, but rest assured, we’re well aware of all its wonderful names!

What is Lorne Sausage made of?

Lorne sausage is a Scottish food traditionally made from minced meat often beef and pork, spices and rusk or breadcrumbs.

Unlike a traditional sausage, a Scottish square sausage has no casing, which means it’s easy to make at home. Due to it’s lack of casing Lorne sausage is made as a whole, then sliced into squares. Perfect for rolls, sandwiches and full Scottish breakfasts.

We thought it was about time we came up with our own Lorne sausage recipe.

Scroll to the end or use the table of contents to be taken straight to the Printable Recipe Card.

Where does Lorne Sausage come from?

The exact origins of Lorne sausage, like many traditional Scottish foods, is unclear. It’s likely it was in the latter 19th century when metal tins also became more popular, and it would have been cheaper to shape the sausage in these than in a casing.

Why is it called Lorne Sausage?

Of course, there is contention about the origins of the name “Lorne Sausage” as well. A popular story is that it was because of Glaswegian comedian Tommy Lorne, who made jokes about square sausages looking a bit like doormats.

However, there is evidence of advertisem*nts from butchers for “Lorne Sausage” at least 6 years before Tommy Lorne was even born.

More likely is that it was named for the extinct district of Lorne, which was part of what is now known as Argyll and Bute, although there is no direct evidence for this either.

Another option is that it was named for the Marquess of Lorne, which was the name given to the son of the Duke of Argyll.

The Marquess of Lorne, in the late 19th century, was well-known for marrying one of Queen Victoria’s daughters, so it’s possible the sausage was named for him for some reason. I mean, who doesn’t want a sausage named after them?!

The truth is we’ll never know, but however it happened, the name has stuck in many households and shops across Scotland.

So let’s get to making our own Lorne or Square Sausage Recipe then!

Things you’ll need to make this Lorne Sausage Recipe

• Loaf tin to pack it into – we have one like this
• Cling Film or Beeswax wrap – we used cling film as we had some in our draw, but you could use a beeswax wrap to stop it from sticking to the tin as well

Ingredients for this Homemade Lorne Sausage Recipe

• 450g (1lb) minced beef
• 450g (1lb) minced pork
• 250g (1.5 cups) breadcrumbs (not fresh)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt ( add to taste)
• 1.5 tsp coriander
• 0.5 tsp nutmeg
• 0.5 tsp mace
• 120ml (0.5 cups) cold water

Using the right meat

You need to use meat that has a high percentage of fat, otherwise the sausage will be dry. Often these sausages shrink a lot when cooked as the fat content is high!

We used meat that was 20% fat and would say this should be a minimum.

Breadcrumbs or Rusk?

Using breadcrumbs or rusks also means the sausage won’t be dry and chewy. They help to absorb moisture. We used natural breadcrumbs in our Lorne sausage recipe, but you could also use rusk.

Rusk is a cereal ingredient made of wheat flour versus breadcrumbs, which are dried bread.

It’s often used to bulk up sausages and used when a large number of sausages are being prepared. We found breadcrumbs to be just as good, if not better, but you can use either.

How to make Lorne Sausage – Step by step method

Line your loaf tin or whatever you’re using to make the square sausage, with clingfilm, with enough hanging over the edges to wrap over the opening once you’ve put the sausage meat in it.

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and use your hands to thoroughly combine.

Squash the sausage meat into the loaf tin as densely as possible. If you have any left over, you can set it aside to make meat patties out of it!

Wrap the clingfilm over the top so it’s fully covered and place in the freezer for 2 hours, or until firm enough to slice.

Note, you should not use pre-frozen meat for this recipe as meat should only be frozen and thawed once. Alternatively, leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours until it is firm.

Remove the sausage from the tin using the clingfilm to lift it out and then cut into 1cm slices.

You can use it immediately, put it in the fridge to be used within the next two days, or put pieces of baking paper between slices and place them in a container to fully freeze and pull them out to use as you wish.

Cook in a frying pan for a few minutes on each slide or grill, and then serve in a morning roll with your choice or sauce, as part of a full Scottish breakfast or even in your Stovies!

Printable Lorne Sausage Recipe Card

Other Scottish Breakfast Recipes to Try:

• The Perfect Scottish Morning Rolls Recipe
• What is a Full Scottish Breakfast? And How to Make The Best One!
• Homemade Scottish Fruit Pudding Recipe
• How to Make Porridge – The Perfect Scottish Porridge

Pin for later!