Gordon Ramsay Spooky Mummy Sausage Platter

Sausages wrapped in thin strips of puff pastry like bandages, baked until golden, with candy eyes peeking out of a gap at the top. They’re my go-to Halloween party starter: five ingredients, about 40 minutes, and kids love helping wrap them. Served around a ketchup “spiderweb” dip, they disappear fast.

This is family party food, not a Gordon Ramsay recipe. The only real technique is the same one he uses for any puff pastry: keep it cold, and it puffs up crisp and flaky.

Ingredients

For the mummies

• 10 pork sausages (about 400 g / 14 oz total — chipolatas or regular breakfast sausages both work)
• 2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry (about 320 g / 11 oz each), thawed if frozen
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs or Italian seasoning (optional)
• 20 candy eyes

For the spiderweb dip

• 120 ml (1/2 cup) ketchup
• 3 tablespoons sour cream or mayonnaise, in a small piping bag or zip-top bag

Method

1. Cut the bandages. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a large baking sheet. Unroll the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut each sheet lengthwise into 10 thin strips, about 1 cm (1/2 inch) wide, for 20 strips in total.
   
2. Wrap the sausages. Pat the sausages dry so the pastry sticks. Wind a strip around each one at an angle, overlapping like bandages, and leave a small gap near the top for the eyes. Don’t stretch the pastry, or it shrinks back in the oven. Uneven wrapping looks more like a real mummy, so there’s no wrong way to do it.
   
3. Egg wash, seam-side down. Place the mummies on the tray with the loose pastry end tucked underneath, which stops them unwrapping in the oven. Brush them with egg wash for a deep golden shine and sprinkle with herbs if you like. If your kitchen is warm, chill them for 10 minutes now.
   
4. Bake. Bake for 15–18 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deep golden; the sausages will be cooked through by then. Turn the tray halfway if some brown faster than others.
   
5. Make the spiderweb dip. While they bake, smooth the ketchup into a small dark bowl. Pipe 3–4 circles of sour cream on top, then drag a toothpick from the center outward through the circles to make a web.
   
6. Add the eyes. Let the mummies cool for 5 minutes so the candy eyes don’t melt, then stick two eyes in each gap with a tiny dot of ketchup or honey. Eyes close together look cute; far apart looks spookier. Arrange them around the dip and serve warm.
   

Swaps

• Hot dogs: work exactly the same way, with the same baking time.
• Cheesy: tuck a thin strip of mozzarella under the pastry before baking.
• Spicy: use chorizo-style sausages and add a pinch of smoked paprika to the egg wash.
• Air fryer: cook at 190°C (375°F) for 8–10 minutes in a single layer, in batches.

Getting ahead

Wrap the sausages up to 24 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge on the tray, then egg wash and bake from cold, adding 2 minutes. Baked mummies keep for 2 days in the fridge; re-crisp them at 180°C (350°F) for 8 minutes. The dip keeps for 3 days; redraw the web before serving if it blurs. Feeding a crowd? Double the batch and use two trays.

Halloween Recipes

Gordon Ramsay Spooky Mummy Sausage Platter

Plump sausages wrapped in golden puff pastry bandages with candy eyes peeking through, served with a spiderweb ketchup dip. A creepy-cute Halloween party appetizer ready in about 40 minutes.

Chef Gordon Ramsay Recipes

Prep
20 minutes

Cook
18 minutes

Total
40 minutes

Serves
10 mummy sausages

🖨 Print Recipe

Ingredients

10 pork sausages (about 400 g / 14 oz total)2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry (about 320 g / 11 oz each), thawed if frozen1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs or Italian seasoning (optional)20 candy eyes120 ml (1/2 cup) ketchup, for the dip3 tablespoons sour cream or mayonnaise, for the spiderweb

Instructions

01

Heat the oven and cut the pastry

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut each sheet lengthwise into 10 long, thin strips about 1 cm (1/2 inch) wide.

02

Wrap the sausages like mummies

Pat the sausages dry with kitchen paper. Wind one pastry strip around each sausage at a slight angle, overlapping like bandages, leaving a small gap near the top unwrapped for the eyes. Press the strip end gently to seal, finishing seam-side down.

03

Egg wash and season

Arrange the wrapped sausages on the lined baking sheet. Brush each one all over with the beaten egg for a deep golden shine, and sprinkle lightly with dried herbs if using.

04

Bake until golden

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the pastry is puffed, crisp, and richly golden. Rotate the tray halfway through if some mummies brown faster than others.

05

Make the spiderweb dip

Spoon the ketchup into a small dark bowl and smooth the top. Pipe 3-4 concentric sour cream circles over the ketchup, then drag a toothpick from the centre outward through the circles to form the web. Chill until serving.

06

Add eyes and serve

Cool the baked mummies for 5 minutes so the candy eyes will not melt. Dab a dot of ketchup or honey on the back of each candy eye and press two into the unwrapped gap of every sausage. Arrange on a platter around the dip and serve warm.

Chef Tips

• Keep the pastry cold: chill the wrapped sausages 10 minutes before baking if your kitchen is warm, so the pastry puffs higher.
• Do not stretch the strips as you wrap; stretched pastry shrinks back in the oven and exposes the sausage.
• Always add candy eyes after baking, never before — they melt in the oven.
• Wrap the sausages up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate; egg wash and bake straight from cold, adding 2 minutes.

Pair them with my Spooky Witch Finger Cauldron Platter, and finish with the Halloween Chocolate Cake.