When I first moved to Scotland, I had no clue what a Kilted Soldier was. Honestly, if you paid me a month’s wage, I couldn’t have described a Kilted Soldier, let alone have made one.
Sadly, this lack of Kilted Soldier knowledge stayed with me until my first Christmas in Scotland. I was served my Christmas dinner with a fantastic selection of trimmings; someone casually asked me as they passed me a bowl, “Do you want some Kilted Soldiers”?
Before I could say no, I looked at the bowl being handed to me and got the joke. The bowl was full of what I would have called Pigs in Blankets, which here in Scotland are called Kilted Soldiers.
And yes, I would 100% like some Kilted Soldier, please! They are amazing!
What are Kilted Soldiers?
Kilted Soldiers are the Scottish version of Pigs in Blankets. UK pigs in blankets, that is. In the US, they are a little different, a hot dog with a “blanket” of pastry; correct us if we’re wrong here, U.S.A cousins!
No, we’re here to make UK Pigs In Blankets or Scottish Kilted Soldiers.
Zero pastry involved! When searching this topic, it seems many pages and recipes have confused the American and UK versions. But here in the UK and Ireland, there is no doubt what a Kilted Soldier/Pig in Blanket is!
After all, a sausage wrapped in pastry is surely a sausage roll, isn’t it America?
Making Kilted Soldiers means we will take some soldiers/pigs, i.e. small sausages, cocktails or chipolatas, and wrap them in bacon, giving them their kilt/blanket. Simple.
Where do Kilted Soldiers come from?
As proud of these little taste explosions as the UK is, they were most likely first created in Germany or Czechoslovakia. But, like many foods, the UK has welcomed them in as one of their own and made them every Christmas religiously.
Delia Smith is the real person to “break” Kilted Soldiers in the UK and the lady who deserves all the praise. She included Pigs in Blankets/Kilted Soldiers in her Christmas cooking book at the height of her fame in the 90s, making them a done deal on the plates of the UK at Christmas from that day forward.
Why are they called Kilted Soldiers?
This is an interesting question. I can find no reason as to why Scotland decided to call Pigs in Blankets, Kilted Soldiers. It could just be that it is a funnier name? Something a little more Scottish? Or just something a little less blunt to enjoy at Christmas?
We much prefer the name Kilted Soldiers, but we have to say that even in Scotland, they’re often still called Pigs in Blankets.
Why are they called Pigs in Blankets?
The answer to this seems a little more straightforward: Pigs in Blankets are a traditionally pork sausage wrapped in bacon, as if in a blanket. Simple right?
Why make your own Kilted Soldiers?
This is an interesting question. Kilted Soldiers are cheap and easy to buy from the supermarket here in the UK. But, like many of the foods we have made, Tattie Scones, Tablet, and Drop Scones are good examples. They can easily be bought but taste a little bit better when they’re homemade!
With Kilted Soldiers, picking the tastiest sausages, your favourite streaky bacon and, of course, covering them in a glaze that you love is reason enough to make them at home. They taste fantastic! If you have the time, we definitely would make these yourself.
What Glaze is best?
Much of this depends on your good self. We prefer something a little traditional, such as glazing our Kilted Soldiers in sticky whisky, honey, and mustard glaze that adds a little bite alongside that sweetness that only roasted honey can give.
Kilted Soldiers are great on their own, but adding a glaze you love makes them a dish that will be the first to be emptied when your family sits down for Christmas. They go from a side dish to the star of the show. Think of Robbie Williams in Take That going on to his solo career!
Things you’ll need to make Kilted Soldiers
- Large Knife and Chopping Board
- Pastry Brush
- Tinfoil and Large Baking Tray with a lip
Ingredients for Kilted Soldiers
- 12 Chipolatas or Sausages of your choice
- 12 Rashers of Streaky Bacon
- 2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Mustard (we usually use Dijon)
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Whisky
- 2 tbsp Honey
Sausages
Bought Kilted Sausages (or Pigs in Blankets) tend to be small sausages around 5cm long. You can use these, but we prefer to use longer Chiploatas as they have just the right length for the streaky bacon we use, and we prefer them to the smaller ones.
You may have to do a bit of trial and error to see how much streaky bacon you need to sausages, depending on the size of the both!
Mustard
We like to use Dijon Mustard as it goes well with sausages and is the right strength for this recipe. We have used English Mustard, too, but tend to use a little less if it’s a stronger mustard than the Dijon. Wholegrain Mustard is also a possibility, but it is a much milder flavour.
How to make Kilted Soldiers – Step-by-step method
Put all of the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and heat on the stovetop until they come together. Do not boil! Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C/400F.
Take your large chopping board, knife, and bacon. Using the knife, hold down the bacon at one end and, with your other hand, stretch it out, making it longer. This means you can wrap it more tightly around the sausages and it won’t loosen as much while cooking.
Lay out of a piece of bacon flat on the chopping board, brush lightly with some glaze, place a sausage at one end and wrap around it, until the whole sausage is wrapped apart from a small amount at the top and bottom.
Place on a baking tray with a lip, lined with tin foil. Make sure the end of the bacon is underneath the sausage so it sticks while cooking.
Repeat with all of the bacon and sausages.
Brush half of the remaining glaze over the sausages.
Place in the hot oven and cook for half of the time recommended on the sausage packet, usually around 10-15 minutes.
Remove and glaze with the remaining glaze, trying to make sure you get some underneath but that the end of the bacon stays sealed. You can turn the sausages if they’re already cooking well together and the bacon is sticking.
Cook for the remaining time, around 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with rosemary if you wish.
Serve and enjoy!
Kilted Soldiers with Whisky Glaze Recipe
Kilted Soldiers are the Scottish name for Pigs in Blankets, but made more Scottish with the addition of a delicious whisky glaze!
Ingredients
- 12 Chipolatas or Sausages of your choice
- 12 Rashers of Streaky Bacon
- 2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Mustard (we usually use Dijon)
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Whisky
- 2 tbsp Honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/400F.
- Take your large chopping board, knife, and bacon. Using the knife, hold down the bacon at one end and, with your other hand, stretch it out, making it longer. This means you can wrap it more tightly around the sausages and it won't loosen as much while cooking.
- Lay out of a piece of bacon flat on the chopping board, brush lightly with some glaze, place a sausage at one end and wrap around it, until the whole sausage is wrapped apart from a small amount at the top and bottom.
- Place on a baking tray with a lip, lined with tin foil. Make sure the end of the bacon is underneath the sausage so it sticks while cooking.
- Repeat with all of the bacon and sausages.
- Brush half of the remaining glaze over the sausages.
- Place in the hot oven and cook for half of the time recommended on the sausage packet, usually around 10-15 minutes.
- Remove and glaze with the remaining glaze, trying to make sure you get some underneath but that the end of the bacon stays sealed. You can turn the sausages if they're already cooking well together and the bacon is sticking.
- Cook for the remaining time, around 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with rosemary if you wish.
- Serve and enjoy!