Toad in the hole

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This article is about the dish. For the pub game, see Toad in the hole (game). For the egg and toast dish, see Egg in the basket.

Toad in the hole, ready to be served

Toad in the hole is a traditional English dish^[1] comprising sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with vegetables and onion gravy.

The origin of the name "Toad-in-the-Hole" is vague. Most suggestions are that the dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provide the dish with its somewhat unusual name.^[2] An 1861 recipe by Charles Elme Francatelli does not mention sausages, instead including as an ingredient "6d. or 1s. worth of bits and pieces of any kind of meat, which are to be had cheapest at night when the day's sale is over."^[3]

The recipe itself is rather simple. A pan is placed into the oven and heated for about 15 minutes whilst the batter is prepared. The sausages and batter are added and cooked for half an hour. With frozen sausages, the meat is placed into the dish as its being heated. It is normally accompanied by gravy (often onion gravy), vegetables, chips or mashed potato.