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Eat My Words: We review award winning sausage roll at Chrystal's in Gravesend Borough Market

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A Scottish coffee shop has won a two star Great Taste award for its unique creation – a sausage and black pudding roll. But how good is it?

For this week's Eat My Words review, I headed down to Chrystal's – who have had a unit at Gravesend Borough Market for around two years – to find out.

Chrystal's aims to bring unique combinations of Scottish and British food
Chrystal's aims to bring unique combinations of Scottish and British food

Located behind the Old Town Hall in the High Street, the market was chartered in 1268 making it one of the oldest in the county but once inside you wouldn't know it.

It underwent a £1.8 million refurbishment in 2016 by Gravesham council and now have 16 permanent shops including various food outlets including Chrystal's.

The units are set up around the outside leaving space for tables and chairs to be set up in the middle for customers of any of the eateries to use.

I went up to the front of the Scottish café where I was met by husband-and-wife duo Faye and Rob Chrystal who welcomed me with a smile and asked what I would be having.

Knowing it could only be one thing, I ordered the award winning roll which costs £3.50 and because I was told it was the best-seller I also got a sausage and caramalised onion roll.

You can add salad and coleslaw to the meal for an extra 50p but seeing the size of the rolls, I gave it a miss.

It has won a two star Great Taste award
It has won a two star Great Taste award
The lengthy menu has plenty of options including breakfast, rolls and pancakes
The lengthy menu has plenty of options including breakfast, rolls and pancakes

As soon as Faye heard my choice she excitedly told me that they had recently won a two star Great Taste award for their recipe which meant the judges thought it was outstanding.

She explained if the roll had been made long like a typical sausage roll as opposed to their rounded one it would have been three stars but she liked the fact the pair are doing something different.

I took a seat with my dad – who had only come along for the free food – on one of the tables near the café. Around 10 minutes later, the rolls arrived straight from the oven.

We split them both in half and was surprised by how thin the pastry is in comparison to the amount of filling. Faye explained there was around half a pound a meat in each so thicker pastry would probably be too much.

Faye also told us that the meat is sourced from farms up in Scotland which she collects with Rob when they visit family.

I don't actually like black pudding but for our reader's sake I bit the bullet and gave it a go it. I expected it to be quite dry like it usually is if you have it on a breakfast but as it was mixed with the sausage meat it was the complete opposite.

The sausage and caramelised onion roll and the sausage and black pudding roll
The sausage and caramelised onion roll and the sausage and black pudding roll
The inside of the sausage and black pudding roll
The inside of the sausage and black pudding roll

It was packed with flavour and I think had the right amount of meat to pastry ratio. The pastry was good too, crispy and with a nice golden colour.

The onion roll was equally as nice although quite sweet so I don't think I could have eaten a whole one but again it was something different you wouldn't get anywhere else.

Chrystal's were awarded the Great Taste certificate in August and the owners took to social media to share the judge's comments:"Good crisp pastry with a glossy even bake.

"A very generous filling, firm but not dense giving a very good eating texture. The product has a buttery baked puff pastry aroma. The black pudding to beef ratio is perfect and it is seasoned to perfection. We loved the look of these hearty-looking sausage rolls, very generously filled with rich dark sausage and black pudding. We couldn't wait to try them. The pastry was lovely and crisp and flaky.

"The texture of the sausage and black pudding was moist without being oily. It was perfectly seasoned and spiced. The sausage was tasty and beefy, the black pudding was rich and delicious. Amazing."

And I couldn't agree more. The black pudding roll was actually my favourite despite not liking one of the main elements – certainly award winning in my opinion.

Reporter Alex Langridge tries the award winning sausage and black pudding roll
Reporter Alex Langridge tries the award winning sausage and black pudding roll
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Chrystal's, Unit 12, Borough Market, Gravesend, DA11 0AZ

Food: The sausage rolls were full of flavour and certainly brought something different with the mix of Scottish and British cuisine. *****

Drink: There is a range of fizzy and hot drinks – they even had Iron Bru! ****

Decor: The tables and chairs were a bit wobbly and were quite simple. ***

Staff: Faye and Rob were very welcoming and were happy to chat through their menu. They were nothing but lovely. *****

Price: £3.50 for one is not badly priced at all for half a pound of meat and something different. *****

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