Book of Days Tales

The St Scholastica Day riot of 10 February 1355, is one of the most notorious events in the history of Oxford. The seed of the riot was an altercation in the Swindlestock Tavern (now the site of the Santander Bank on Carfax, on the corner of St Aldate’s and Queen Street) between two students of the university, Walter Spryngeheuse and Roger de Chesterfield, and the landlord, John Croidon. They complained about the quality of the beer, which led to an exchange of rude words that ended with the students throwing their drinks in the landlord’s face and assaulting him. Retaliation for this incident led to armed clashes between locals and students.

A riot lasted two days and left 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead. The scholars were eventually defeated. The dispute was settled in favor of the university – big surprise – by the courts, and a special charter was created. Annually thereafter, on 10^th February the saint’s day of St Scholastica, the mayor and councilors had to march bareheaded through the streets and pay to the university a fine of one penny for every scholar killed, a total of 5s 3d. The penance ended 470 years later, in 1825 when the mayor refused to take part.

Here’s  a recipe for Oxford sausages.  Should be served as part of a full English breakfast – fried egg, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, fried tomatoes and either toast or fried bread.  Preferably the latter. You must have Oxford marmalade too. Don’t knock English cooking.  Otherwise I will haunt you.

Oxford Sausages

Ingredients

500 gm/1lb 2oz minced pork
500 gm/1lb 2oz minced lamb
350 gm/12oz shredded suet
225 gm/8oz fresh breadcrumbs
2 lemons, zest only
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves
1 egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain flour, for dusting
50 gm/2oz goose fat, butter or oil, for frying

Instructions:

Place the minced pork and lamb, suet, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, nutmeg and herbs into a large bowl and mix well to combine. Add the egg and mix to bind.

Dust the work surface and your hands lightly with flour, then pinch off a small ball of the sausage mixture and roll into a sausage shape. Repeat with the remaining sausage mixture.

Heat a frying pan until smoking, then add the goose fat. Add the sausages to the pan, in small batches, and fry over a medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes, turning the sausages over every so often, until golden-brown and cooked through.