Valley Sausage Co.
Ottawa, Canada
Will Thorne-Morris spent five years as a butcher at Sanagan's Meat Locker in Toronto before moving to Ottawa with Tamara Saslove, a dietitian and private chef with six years of product development behind her. Together they opened Valley Sausage Co., a two-person shop on Canotek Road where they grind, season, and stuff everything in-house. The rotating lineup covers bratwurst, mild and hot Italian, Cumberland, Mexican chorizo, honey garlic, cheddar jalapeño, chicken bacon, and kale sausage, with new recipes cycling through the weekly subscription bundles. They sell at pop-ups and markets across Ottawa under a dark blue tent and run sausage-making workshops for home cooks. Charcuterie (rillettes, pâtés, terrines) and tourtières are in the pipeline.
Sausages from Valley Sausage Co.
Bangers
British Isles
Bangers, a beloved British sausage, feature pork, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. They are often served as part of a classic "bangers and mash" dish, alongside mashed potatoes and onion gravy. The sausages brown nicely in a pan, offering a satisfying, savory experience.
Chorizo Mexicano
Mexico
Chorizo Mexicano is a fresh, intensely flavored sausage. Ground pork is its base, heavily spiced with chili peppers, garlic, and vinegar. Unlike its Spanish counterpart, it is not typically smoked or cured. People often crumble and cook it in tacos, eggs, or quesadillas.
Cumberland Sausage
Cumbria, England
Cumberland sausage is a distinctive pork sausage from Cumberland, England. Coarsely ground pork combines with black pepper, white pepper, and other seasonings. The sausage often appears in a long, coiled shape rather than individual links. People typically grill or pan-fry this flavorful sausage, serving it with mashed potatoes and onion gravy.
Farmer's Sausage
Southern Manitoba
A cold-smoked pork sausage born in the Mennonite farming communities of southern Manitoba. Ground pork, salt, pepper, and woodsmoke. Four ingredients. No herbs, no garlic, no filler. The sausage gets its character from the smoking process: hung in a smokehouse over smoldering wood (often oak or maple) at temperatures too low to cook the meat. The result is a firm, rosy link with a pronounced smoke flavor and a coarse, meaty texture. Mennonite families across the Canadian prairies have eaten it two or three times a week for over a century.
Italian Sausage
New York City, USA
Italian sausage in the United States defines itself through coarsely ground pork, fennel seed, and a paprika-driven spice blend. It comes in many forms, from mild to hot, and links or bulk. People often grill, pan-fry, or bake it. It stars in pasta sauces, sandwiches, and many other dishes.