Toad in the hole (Mary Berry) (2024)

This easy toad in the hole from Mary Berry is a classic winter’s dinner. Delicious sausages with a crisp and fluffy Yorkshire pudding batter it’s sure to be a hit with all the family.

I love an easy toad in the hole. It’s a perfect, simple midweek meal. Once you’ve made the batter you can just pop it in the oven and forget about until it’s ready so it’s great for a low effort, family meal.

I’ve had a bit of trouble with toad in the hole over the years though, with lots of attempts with soggy batter that doesn’t rise well. This easy toad in the hole recipe from Mary Berry however seems to work for me – with a light batter that was both crisp and fluffy.

Why is it called toad in the hole?

Much to my kid’s relief there are no toads involved in toad in the hole! It’s a dish that has been around in some form for hundreds of years with battered meat recipes becoming popular in the early 18th Century. Although toads were never involved, it hasn’t always been made with sausages but as a dish that can help eke out any cheap cut of meat.

How can kids help to make this easy toad in the hole?

This is a very simple dish so it’s great for getting kids involved in preparing dinner. While I wouldn’t recommend young children getting involved with preparing the sausages in the oven, getting the batter ready is the perfect task for them.

Kids can help to measure out the flour and milk, practice cracking eggs and whisk everything together. And because you can make the batter ahead of time, there’s no rush for kids to get this done in time for dinner!

Why is my batter soggy?

There are a few things that will make your batter soggy and stop it from rising nicely. You need to make sure your batter is a good consistency – not too thick and not too thin. This recipe seems to work nicely for us.

If your batter still isn’t rising well it could be that you haven’t used enough oil. While you don’t want your toad in the hole to be greasy, you need a certain amount of hot oil for the batter to rise. If you can, when you’re adding the batter to your hot dish, do it as quickly as possible so the oil hasn’t had the chance to cool down out of the oven.

Can you make toad in the hole ahead of time?

You can make the batter ahead of time (up to 12 hours) and keep it in the fridge until dinner time. Once the sausages have baked, use the batter straight from the fridge and pour it over them.

Similar recipes

If you liked this easy toad in the hole you’ll love our other simple midweek meals:

Easy homemade sausage rolls
Creamy Italian sausage pasta
Sausage pasta for kids
Easy meatballs for kids

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this toad in the hole

Digital scales
Measuring cups
Mixing bowl
Roasting tins
Whisk

Ingredients

9-12 pork sausages or chipolatas
2 tbsp oil

For the batter
75g plain flour
2 eggs
150ml milk

How to make Mary Berry’s toad in the hole

Make the batter

Get your kids to measure the flour out and add it to a mixing bowl. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl just in case any shell goes in. If it does, fish it out with a larger piece of shell – it will stick to that more easily than your finger.

Get your kids to measure the milk out. If you have digital scales, you can use the ml setting on those to measure it accurately. Or just use a measuring jug.

Make a well in the centre of your flour then tip the eggs in. Using a fork or a small whisk, whisk them into the flour.

Then slowly start adding the milk, whisking it all together until you have a nice smooth batter. You might want to pour the milk in while your kids are whisking or vice versa. If you find your bowl moving on the work surface, pop a tea towel underneath to stop it slipping.

Once you’ve made your batter, pop it into a jug if you have one. Keep it in the fridge until you need it later.

Bake the sausages

Preheat your oven to 200C / 190C Fan / 390 F and grease the base and sides of a roasting tin with a little oil.

Arrange the sausages in your roasting pan then put them in the oven for 25 minutes.

Make the toad in the hole

Carefully remove your roasting pan from the oven. If your sausages are very fatty, drain a little of the oil if necessary. I also like to turn the sausages over at this point so the other side can brown.

Pour the toad in the hole batter around the sausages.

Put the toad in the hole back into the oven and bake for a further 30-40 minutes. It’s ready when the sausages have cooked and the batter has risen, crisped up and turned a lovely golden colour.

Remove from the oven and serve with your favourite vegetables.

Similar recipes

If you liked this toad in the hole, you might also like our creamy italian sausage pasta or our other easy dinners for kids.

This recipe was first published in March 2016 and updated in December 2021.