Cheats Toad in the Hole

Cheats Toad in the Hole

This one is a proper cheat code for a classic British comfort dish and we are absolutely obsessed with it. All the satisfaction of toad in the hole but instead of fussing with batter you use puff pastry, which means it's quicker, crispier, and honestly just as good. The sausages nestle right into that golden, flaky pastry and the curry gravy on the side takes it somewhere really special. It's the kind of dinner that feels indulgent but comes together so fast you'll be eating within 20 minutes. Make this tonight, trust us.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking tray
  • Small bowl
  • Frying pan
  • Jug for serving gravy

Ingredients

  • 1 320g sheet sheet of plant-based puff pastry
  • 6 plant-based sausages
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 ½ tsp cornflour
  • 250ml boiling water
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp English mustard
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Nooch
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • fresh coriander
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • mango chutney

Method

1

Prepare the toad in the hole

  • Unroll the pastry and place it on its sheet on the baking tray
  • Lay the sausages on top and score the pastry either side of each sausage with a sharp knife
  • In a bowl, mix the milk together with the curry powder and a generous grinding of salt and pepper
  • Brush the milk mixture over the pastry
  • Bake on the top shelf of the hot oven for 15 minutes
2

Meanwhile, make the curry gravy

  • Add the oil to the hot frying pan
  • Peel and finely slice the onion and add it to the pan
  • Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the pan
  • Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
  • Stir in the cornflour to coat the onions and garlic
  • Add the boiling water, ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, nutritional yeast and curry powder
  • Stir to combine
  • Finely slice the coriander stalks, reserving the leaves, and add them to the pan
  • Stir and then bring to a simmer
  • Season to taste
  • Remove and discard the garlic cloves
  • Add more water if the gravy looks too thick
3

Serve

  • Pour the gravy into a jug
  • Scatter the reserved coriander leaves over the toad in the hole and serve it with the gravy and some mango chutney on the side

Tips & Variations

  • Get the oven really hot: We find this works best when the oven is fully preheated before the pastry goes in. A hot oven is what gives you that proper golden puff.
  • Don't skip the scoring: It sounds like a small thing but scoring the pastry either side of each sausage makes a real difference to how it bakes up. It stops the pastry going soggy underneath and helps it crisp right around the sausages.
  • Gravy consistency: If your curry gravy feels too thick, just add a small splash of water or plant-based milk and stir it through. You want it pourable but not watery.

Why This Works

The trick here is scoring the pastry either side of each sausage so it puffs up around them and holds everything in place while it bakes. The milk and curry powder brush is doing a lot of work too, it adds colour, a gentle warmth and a bit of flavour to every bite of pastry. And that curry gravy is the real secret weapon, it takes a classic British dish somewhere completely unexpected and it just works.