Although you are reading this at a time when the new year is already a week old, some of you might still be feeling slightly hung over from last weekend. One way to get perked up and back in the workday mode is to tuck into a typical English breakfast.

The platter could feature easy-to-prepare items such as sausages, eggs, a little bacon and token veggies, mushrooms and tomatoes - what's not to love? And in some form or another, they are all easily available in Hong Kong.

Sausage is the centerpiece of such repasts, so get the best you can afford. Virtually any type of meat can be used to make a sausage, although pork or pork blends are the most-commonly used. Sausage-makers in most cultures let their imagination run a little wild when it comes to adding a touch of spice and flavorings.

Flavorings run the gamut from onions and garlic to herbs such as rosemary and chives, not forgetting the more exotic nutmeg, cinnamon and the immensely satisfying varieties of paprika. There are some great veggie sausages available in Hong Kong as well. The Linda McCartney brand is especially rewarding. It's made from soya protein and also vegan friendly. Also vegetarian, Beyond Meat products are made from plant-based proteins that take the animal out of meat - without sacrificing taste.

Of course, you don't have to be a Cordon Bleu chef to rustle up a tasty breakfast with sausages and all the trimmings. Eggs should be fried, sunny-side up! And sausages could be baked, fried, grilled, barbequed or poached, although it's not really a "fry-up" option! Just take care to let them cook through and not too fast, there's nothing nice about a burst sausage splayed out on a plate alongside runny egg yolks! Add cooked mushrooms and tomatoes as you like.

A typical British sausage will be made with at least 70 percent high-quality meat, usually beef or pork or a mixture of both with breadcrumbs and added spices and flavorings. One British favorite is the Cumberland sausage - a hefty, chunky ring of sausage, with the meats mildly spiced.

And if breakfast segues into lunch time you can always rely on another stalwart of the genre - bangers and mash. In other words that wonderful Irish notion of pairing fat juicy sausages and mashed potatoes with gravy! Added to that we now have the Guinness sausage! Not quite the "hair of the dog etc". but a very tasty addition nevertheless!

Then there's the German sausage that can be a meal to keep you going all day long!

Bratwurst is a mixture of pork and beef. The Thoringer Rostbratwurst is spiced with marjoram and caraway and is sometime served with a curry sauce! Then there's Blutwurst, made from pig or cow blood that is usually eaten cold with bread. The Frankfurter needs no introduction. It's made from pork and other meats with salt, pepper and paprika.

There's the short-sized Knackwurst, or Knockwurst sausages that are often all-beef and flavored with garlic. They are sometimes smoked.

And the easy to keep, Landjaeger is a type of dried sausage made from beef, pork, lard, and sugar and spices. It is air dried and resembles a small salami. It doesn't need refrigerating.

The Kochwurst is usually made from pre-cooked ingredients. They are twice cooked and sometimes smoked. German soft sausages, such as Liverwurst, are also spreadable and have the highest fat content - up to 40 percent fat - compared to most other varieties.

If you are familiar with Spanish cuisine you have probably eaten Spanish chorizo - a tasty pork sausage seasoned with paprika and garlic. It is a staple of the Spanish diet and comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Lucky us, there are many places in Hong Kong where you can buy all types of sausage as well as the great British banger.

Enjoy them as you will. Happy New Year!

(HK Edition 01/06/2017 page8)