What is Lorne Sausage?

Lorne sausage is a traditional Scottish sausage which is also known as square slice or breakfast square. As the alternate names would seem to imply, this sausage is prepared in a square mold, creating a perfect block of sausage meat which is cut into thick slices for cooking. Many people of Scottish origin are quite attached to Lorne sausage, which is especially popular around Christmas, and it has also won a number of converts. If you happen to live in an area with a large Scottish population, you can probably find this delicacy very easily; it can also be made at home.

Legend has it that Lorne sausage is named for Tommy Lorne, a late 19th century Scottish comedian who supposedly was a big fan of sausages. During breaks in his act, for example, Lorne was apparently fond of eating sausage sandwiches. Some people credit Lorne with the invention of the square slice, while others simply suggest that it was named after him in homage to a famous sausage aficionado.

To make Lorne sausage, cooks mix ground sausage meat with various herbs, spices, and vegetables. Beef is a common choice of sausage meat, although pork is also used, and sometimes the two meats are mixed. It is also perfectly acceptable to make this sausage with other meats, should one so desire. Typically, the sausage is bulked out with bread crumbs so that it will not be too dense, and to encourage it to hold its loaf shape.

Unlike more traditional sausage links, Lorne sausage is not encased in anything, and as a result it needs to be tightly packed into a mold and allowed to sit for several hours to ensure that it will stay together. Once it has been molded, cut, and cooked, this sausage can be eaten alone as a breakfast food, sandwiched between two pieces of bread, or stuffed into a roll. Many people like to use Lorne sausage for sandwiches because the square shape fits neatly and doesn't attempt to escape, unlike sausage links.

Lorne sausage comes in a variety of flavors, from spicy to mild, and it can incorporate things like onions, dried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, basil, and so forth, for people who are feeling a bit exotic. In the United Kingdom, you can find people eating Lorne sausage at all hours of the day, and Scottish butchers typically offer several flavors for their customers. This sausage is also commonly on offer at inns in Scotland, as it is considered a quintessential Scottish food.