Sausage, apple and sage pastry braid

1.Preheat the oven to 210°C

2.In a bowl or processor combine the breadcrumbs, herbs, onion, mustard, and apple. Split the sausage casings with a serrated knife, squeeze the sausage meat into the breadcrumb mixture and either pulse or mix with your hands. Wetting your hands will stop the mixture sticking to them.

3.Place two sheets of pastry end on end on a greased baking tray. Lightly wet the edge of one of the pastry sheets where they overlap and press down firmly to seal. Trim the corners off the top end of the pastry rectangle.

4.Scoop the sausage mixture onto the pastry, arranging it in a strip down the centre of the rectangle and leaving bare pastry at the top, bottom and sides. Shape the sausage filling so it is neat and even, leaving enough pastry either side to completely overlap the filling.

5.Slice 1½cm diagonal strips all the way along each side of the pastry, fold the top and bottom pastry ends in over the filling and criss-cross the pastry strips over the filling to create the braid effect.

6.Trim off any excess at the end. Don’t worry if its not even; it is a rustic dish.

7.Brush all over with egg and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until dark golden. Serve warm or cold.