Vegan Sausage Rolls

Finely dice the onion and celery, mince the garlic, grate the carrot, and finely chop the mushrooms, walnuts, and sage leaves. Set aside.

Cook the lentils in a large pan of boiling salted water for 20 minutes until tender but not mushy, then drain and spread onto a tray to cool and steam-dry for 10 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden at the edges.

Add the garlic, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, and thyme to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

Add the mushrooms and carrot and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and the pan is nearly dry.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, tomato purée, chopped sage, cooked lentils, walnuts, and breadcrumbs. Season generously with salt and black pepper, then mix until the filling holds together when pressed. Allow to cool completely.

Transfer the filling to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes until firm.

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Unroll the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut each sheet in half lengthways, giving you four long rectangles.

Divide the chilled filling into four equal portions and shape each into a firm log along the centre of each pastry rectangle, leaving a 1.5 cm border on each long side.

Fold the pastry over the filling and press the seam firmly to seal, then crimp with a fork. Cut each roll into four equal pieces and place seam-side down on a lined baking tray.

Brush the tops and sides of each roll generously with plant-based milk, then scatter over the nigella or sesame seeds.

Bake for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown and visibly puffed, rotating the tray halfway through.