A quick easy Toad in the Hole is one of my all-time favourite recipes and is essentially a meaty variation on a Yorkshire pudding when filled with delicious British sausages. This simple recipe makes a perfect supper dish or a great alternative for a quick easy Sunday lunch.
Make this recipe in a roasting pan for a large family-sized toad, but you can also make an individually sized toad in the hole and I have outlined how to at the end of the recipe.
The name Toad in the Hole is a curious one and it is thought that as originally the dish used clumps of sausage meat it probably resembled toads in the batter? True or not it sounds good. And serving your Toad in the Hole there is nothing better than a rich onion gravy.
If you want to watch our video on making a Toad in the Hole, here it is.
Ingredients:
4 large, fresh eggs
200 ml (2/3 cup) milk
200 ml (2/3 cup) plain/all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 large or 6 small beef or pork sausages
2 tablespoons lard, beef dripping or goose fat
Making the batter
Heat the oven to 220C
- Pour the eggs, milk, and flour into a large, mixing bowl with the salt. Using an electric or hand whisk beat together to form a thick, smooth, airy batter. Leave to stand for a minimum of 20 minutes minimum of up to a couple of hours is fine.
- While the batter is resting heat the vegetable oil in a griddle or frying pan to hot, add the sausages and sear in the pan, turning frequently to brown all over. Put to one side.
- About 10 mins before the end of the resting time, place the lard, drippings, or a tablespoon of oil into a large, roasting tin. Add the sausages spacing evenly in the tin. Place the tray in the preheated oven and heat until the fat is slightly smoking but not burning approx 10 minutes.
- Give the batter another good whisk then pour into the hot, roasting tin. Please be careful, the fat may splatter when you add the batter. Pour in enough cover the whole of the bottom of the tin and approx 2cm (3/4″) thick. If you have batter leftover, don’t worry, you can always make extra Yorkshire puddings.
- Put the tin into the preheated oven and cook until the pudding is well risen and golden brown and the sausages cooked thoroughly. This will take about 25 minutes.
- Once the toad is cooked, remove from the oven, cut into quarters and serve covered with delicious onion gravy.

For a variation on a family-sized Toad use a 12-hole muffin tin, or a Yorkshire pudding tin (4 x 2″/5cm holes). Cut each sausage into pieces to fit the holes of the pudding tin and make as above but individually.
If you enjoyed the Toad in the Hole recipe, find more from Elaine, here on the website.