The 7 best sausage rolls in London have been crowned by the New York Times

Time Out

27-05-2025

If there's one food that brings Brits together, it's the humble sausage roll. A trusty hangover breakfast, a summer picnic essential, a hearty pub snack – soft minced pork wrapped in a crispy slap of puff pastry has a magic hold over the nation.
Obviously, Americans are less acquainted with the beloved British staple, so for its list of the best sausage rolls in the capital, the New York Times asked a batch of London creatives to share their favourites. From simple traditional rolls, to gourmet interpretations, here's what they picked.
Cynthia Shanmugalingam, chef and owner of Sri Lankan restaurant Rambutan, chose the sausage roll at the Ginger Pig in Borough Market. She called it the 'Rolls Royce of sausage rolls' and said that 'the pastry is like a crispy cloud, all buttery flakiness, and the filling is an explosion of juicy, dense, delicious pork, with a little black pepper and herbs'.
The sausage roll at Jolene in Stoke Newington, which is seasoned with red wine, fennel seeds, garlic and black pepper, was picked by jewellery designer Fernando Jorge. Chef Joseph Denison Carey declared that the sausage roll at the Hampstead outpost of bakery chain Gail's is 'the best on the market'. He said of the pastry, made with pork, rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano and mustard: 'It's always perfectly seasoned, and the consistency of the filling is ideal. It's almost meatloafy.'
Angus Buchanan, creative director of Buchanan Studios, chose the meaty pastry at Notting Hill's Layla Bakery, which is made using scraps of croissant dough. He said: 'The sausage roll is something of an enigma, as it's only available on the weekends and they don't even always have it, but if they do, it's the best!'. For veggies, Layla also do a roll stuffed with sweet potato, chestnut mushroom and chickpeas.
Of course, no list of the best sausage rolls is complete without a Greggs shoutout. Fashion designer Chet Lo nominated the high street classic, which he called 'unpretentious and good'. Alexis Burgess, director of Livingstone whisky and Burgess Studio, selected the rolls served at the bar at the Marksmen in Hackney which come packed with pork, spices, sage, onions and chopped cep mushrooms.
Alex Eagle, the creative director of Alex Eagle Studio, hailed the pastry at Mayfair's Rex Deli stuffed with pork, apple and sage, 'that is really spoiling with some mustard, and maybe a beer, on a Sunday afternoon'.