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Original poster

When did pigs in blankets become a thing?

117 replies

Apolloanddaphne · 17/12/2019 09:40

When I was growing up (in the 60's and 70's, east of Scotland) we had chipolatas and streaky bacon rolls but they were never wrapped together, they were cooked separately. Then suddenly they seemed to be wrapped together and called pigs in blankets. When did this transition happen? Was it always there and my family just missed the memo back in the day?

OP posts:
Hefzi · 17/12/2019 10:31

We had them in the 70s, but called them "bacon rolls" - the current wisespread use of "pigs in blankets" as a moniker is the last ten years ish. The American travesty that is pigs in blankets might be responsible also - mainly because it's catchier and more accurate than those horrible faux sausage rolls that really should have no name at all in the hopes that others are spared Grin

mastertomsmum · 17/12/2019 10:32

Growing up in the 70s we had pigs in blankets but they didn't have a name. I think supermarkets only started calling them pigs in blankets circa 2008/10 and it's become more of a thing since then.

ffswhatnext · 17/12/2019 10:36

Born in the 70's, from up north, never featured on a plate regardless of at someone's home or a restaurant.
Maybe the wrong types of restaurants were booked up north and down south.

ffswhatnext · 17/12/2019 10:37

devils on horseback

A what now?

Megan2018 · 17/12/2019 10:38

Born in 1978 here, South West. Always had pigs in blankets in our household. Best bit if Xmas dinner!

Hefzi · 17/12/2019 10:43

Don't "devils on horseback" involve oysters? I remember it being a 70s canapé...

user1483387154 · 17/12/2019 10:43

over 70 years ago. my mum had them every christmas

FurryDogMother · 17/12/2019 10:47

Born 1959. We had streaky bacon that had been cooked on top of the turkey (to moisten the breast, apparently) and sausagemeat mixed with Paxo sage 'n onion stuffing. I think I started adding pigs in blankets to the meal some time in the 80s, though didn't call them that - just called them 'sausages wrapped in bacon'. Devils on horseback have always been prunes wrapped in bacon, and angels on horseback are oysters wrapped in bacon.

speakout · 17/12/2019 10:52

Growing up in S Scotland we regularly had similar regularly for school dinners.
Full sized suasages, wrapped with bacon, we called them kilted sausages.. Eaten with potatoes or chips and veg.

RubixCubix · 17/12/2019 10:53

Definitely had them in the 80s although I'm not sure they had a name back then. Couldn't be bought ready made though or if they could my parents didn't buy them. It was a Christmas Eve job to wrap each sausage with streaky bacon individually, along with peeling veg and crossing the sprouts. Far easier these days to pick up a packet or five of pre-prepared in the supermarket.

Notso · 17/12/2019 10:54

I remember them being around in the nineties when I was a child although we didn't have them.
I started cooking them in the early 2000's when I had the revelation that I could make them with nice sausages and cook the bacon until it was crispy.

I've made what I think are nigellas pigs in blankets too which are sausages in a cheese scone type thing. Very delicious.

Lllot5 · 17/12/2019 11:00

@Ginkypig
Yep me too kilted sausages I called them until about 20 years ago when I called them that and everyone laughed and didn’t know what I meant.

RubixCubix · 17/12/2019 11:05

My DC also make something they call Ladies on Horseback at Scout camp, which is cheese wrapped in bacon. They wrap them in foil and place around the edge of the campfire to cook.

Pipandmum · 17/12/2019 11:05

I grew up in USA 70s 80s never heard of pigs in blankets. Always thought it definitely an English thing. You can probably find them there but it's not a usual part of Xmas dinner.

UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 17/12/2019 11:06

Not part of the traditional Irish Christmas dinner but since reading the Christmas dinner threads on MN they are now part of my Christmas Dinner.
I'm Irish too and we didn't have them till last year, but traditional christmas dinner in Ireland involves both turkey and ham, which doesn't necessarily seem to happen in the UK, so maybe we didn't need our pig in blankets when we had it in the form of ham?

WeirdedOut2019 · 17/12/2019 11:06

We have always had them but called them kilted sausages

thinkfast · 17/12/2019 11:10

I was born in 79. We always had them. Always called them pigs in blankets

YouRemindMeOfTheBabelfish · 17/12/2019 11:12

I'm 37, one parent from oop north, one from the south coast, we had and still have pigs in blankets

DecemberSnow · 17/12/2019 11:13

My 7 year old niece said she likes "Pigs in blankets, but without the blanket"

Just a sausage then 🤣

Jins · 17/12/2019 11:13

Forever. Well in my living memory anyway which effectively starts in the 70s. Pigs in blankets, devils on horseback, memorably once angels on horseback.

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 17/12/2019 11:14

We always had sausages with a Roast Chicken....back in the day when chicken was dear and a bit special! TBH I think it was because it was dear and if us kids had a sausage each it was less chicken to buy!

Also do them with Christmas Dinner....I made 96 last year....all gone by close of play Boxing Day and there were some unseemly accusations flying about the house as to who had eaten more than their fair share....because there had been negotiations with grandmothers donating their unwanted ones!

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 17/12/2019 11:15

AND our local chip shop does a Pig In Blanket Supper!

PaddyF0dder · 17/12/2019 11:15

This is definitely a Mandela effect thing.

I only became aware of them a few years.

Glitch in the matrix, definitely.

Jins · 17/12/2019 11:15

According to google the first written mention was 1957 although there were regional variations of wrapped sausages before then

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 17/12/2019 11:15

Ivy Grin

Agree, and I believe cave paintings have been discovered showing early man tucking into PIBs