Gluten-free sausage rolls

I find it almost impossible to resist the juicy allure of a homemade sausage roll, one of the greatest culinary inventions of history and the kind of gutsy nibble that can knock fancier canapés straight out the park. The smell of sausage rolls cooking in the oven always makes me feel like, no matter what, everything is going to be alright. I add a little smokiness with smoked paprika and smoked back bacon and, if I do say so myself, these buttery goodies are very, very moreish. In fact, after a sudden onset of guilt at having eaten half the plate’s worth, I had to ask my guests to move the sausage rolls to the other side of the table, so I could no longer reach them.

Everyone should be able to tuck in and enjoy a sausage roll once in a while and, as ever, I am on a mission to make sure gluten-dodgers no longer have to miss out. This wheat-free pastry is gloriously buttery, with a crisp, flaky crumb that manages to hold together well enough to stop the meat bursting out.

Unlike traditional pastry, gluten-free pastry should not be chilled for too long. If you leave it in the fridge for any length of time, the dough becomes too hard to stay together and breaks into crumbs when you try to roll it. So, as far as homemade pastries go, this one is pretty speedy. If you don’t want to use all the pastry at once, you can leave it in the fridge for up to a week, just make sure to bring it back up to room temperature before rolling.