Toad in the hole is British comfort food at its most honest and most satisfying. Good sausages, cooked until golden and fragrant in their own fat, surrounded by a cloud of crisp, golden Yorkshire pudding batter that has risen dramatically around them and set to a perfectly light, slightly crispy exterior with a soft, custardy interior.

With a rich onion gravy poured over and mashed potato alongside, it is one of the finest weeknight dinners British cooking produces.

Mary Berry’s toad in the hole recipe follows the same principles as a perfect Yorkshire pudding — because that is exactly what the batter is. Equal volumes of eggs, milk, and flour. A well-rested batter. Smoking hot fat in a preheated tin.

The discipline to leave the oven door closed throughout. Get these things right and you will have a toad in the hole that rises dramatically, sets beautifully, and tastes extraordinary.

Table of Contents

The Same Rules as Yorkshire Pudding Apply

The batter for toad in the hole is identical to Yorkshire pudding batter. The rules are the same.

Equal volumes. Crack the eggs into a jug, note the volume, use the same volume of combined milk and water, the same volume of flour.

Rest the batter. Thirty minutes at room temperature minimum. Overnight in the fridge is better.

The fat must be smoking. Not warm, not hot — smoking. This is what makes the batter rise dramatically.

Never open the oven door. Not once, not to check, not for anything. The toad stays in until the timer goes off.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Toad in the Hole

For the Yorkshire Pudding Batter

3 large eggs
100ml whole milk
100ml cold water
100g plain flour, sifted
½ tsp fine salt

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For the Sausages and Fat

8 good quality pork sausages
3 tbsp sunflower oil or lard

For the Onion Gravy (Highly Recommended)

2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
500ml beef or chicken stock
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

How to Make Mary Berry Toad in the Hole — Step by Step

Step 1 — Make the Batter

Beat the eggs in a large jug. Add the milk and cold water. Whisk together. Sift in the flour and salt. Whisk vigorously until completely smooth — no lumps. The batter should be the consistency of single cream.

Rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature — or overnight in the fridge. If refrigerating, take out 20 minutes before using and stir well.

Step 2 — Brown the Sausages

Preheat your oven to 220°C / 200°C fan / Gas 7. Place the sausages in a large roasting tin — approximately 30x20cm — with the sunflower oil or lard. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the sausages are deeply browned and golden on all sides.

This pre-browning step is not optional. Pale, unbrowned sausages going into the batter give a disappointing result. Well-browned sausages give colour, flavour, and the right fat temperature in the tin.

Step 3 — Check the Fat is Smoking

When the sausages are deeply browned, remove the tin from the oven and check the fat — it must be visibly smoking. If it is not, return to the oven for two to three more minutes. The smoking fat is what makes the batter rise.

Step 4 — Pour in the Batter

Working as quickly as possible — every second the tin is out of the oven the fat is cooling — pour the rested batter around the sausages in one confident pour. The batter should sizzle dramatically when it hits the hot fat.

Return the tin to the oven immediately.

Step 5 — Bake

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the batter is dramatically risen, deep golden brown all over, and crisp at the edges. Do not open the oven door at any point during baking.

Step 6 — Make the Onion Gravy

While the toad is baking, make the onion gravy. Cook the sliced onions in olive oil over a medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes until deeply golden and almost caramelised — stir regularly. Add the sugar and cook for another two minutes.

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Sprinkle over the flour and stir for one minute. Gradually add the stock, stirring continuously. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Simmer for five to ten minutes until thickened to a rich, glossy gravy. Season to taste.

Step 7 — Serve

Serve the toad in the hole immediately — directly from the tin at the table. Pour the onion gravy generously over the top. Serve with creamy mashed potato and steamed greens.

My Top Tips For Mary Berry Toad in the Hole

Brown the sausages properly before adding the batter. Pale sausages go into pale batter and give you a pale, flavourless result. Twenty minutes of proper browning in the hot oven gives you caramelised, deeply golden sausages that look and taste exactly as they should.

The fat must be smoking. The single most important rule. Smoking fat means the batter sets immediately on contact and rises dramatically. Fat that is merely hot gives you flat, doughy batter.

Pour the batter quickly and return to the oven immediately. The longer the tin spends outside the oven, the more the fat cools and the less the batter will rise. Have the batter in a jug with a pouring spout, work fast, and get the tin back in the oven within 30 seconds.

Never open the oven door. Thirty-five minutes. Set a timer. Walk away. The oven door stays closed. Opening it causes the batter to deflate immediately and permanently.

Use good quality sausages. The sausages are half the dish. A good pork sausage — high meat content, proper seasoning — makes an enormous difference. Cumberland, Lincolnshire, or your local butcher’s sausages are all excellent choices.

Serve immediately. Toad in the hole deflates within minutes of coming out of the oven. It must go from oven to table to plates without delay.

Serving Suggestions

With rich onion gravy poured over — essential. With creamy mashed potato alongside. With steamed green beans or peas for colour and freshness. With English mustard on the side for anyone who wants it.

How to Store Mary Berry Toad in the Hole

At room temperature: Best eaten immediately — toad in the hole does not keep well. The batter deflates quickly.

In the fridge: Store leftovers for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 200°C oven for 10 to 12 minutes — the batter will not rise again but will crisp up nicely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my toad in the hole not rise?

The most common causes: the fat was not hot enough or smoking; the oven door was opened during baking; the batter was poured in before the fat reached the right temperature; or the batter was not rested. Check all four.

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Can I use vegetarian sausages?

Yes — use any good quality vegetarian sausage and follow exactly the same method. Brown them well before adding the batter.

Can I add other ingredients to the tin?

Yes — a few sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary scattered over the sausages before the batter goes in add a wonderful herbal fragrance. Halved shallots browned alongside the sausages are also very good.

Can I use lard instead of sunflower oil?

Yes — lard gives an even crispier, more flavourful batter and is the traditional choice. It reaches a higher temperature than sunflower oil and gives a particularly dramatic rise.

Why is my batter doughy in the middle?

Either the oven temperature was too low, the fat was not hot enough, or the batter was too thick. Make sure the oven is fully preheated to 220°C, the fat is smoking, and the batter is the right consistency — like single cream.

Can I make individual toad in the holes?

Yes — use a deep 12-hole muffin tin. Add a teaspoon of oil to each hole and heat in the oven until smoking. Add a small sausage or sausage piece to each hole, pour in batter to three-quarters full, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.