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Having unravelled the spelling (Daisy is appalling) and agreed how much nicer a TITH is with ale added to the batter, comfort of an even greater kind than a gratin has been delivered. The way this summer is going, the bikini will be staying in the drawer anyway, so do take Daisy's advice while the TITH cooks: "Dispose extraneous beer down throat."

Serves 6

Equipment

20cm x 30cm/8in x 12in non-stick pan

Ingredients

12 plain pork sausages

1 tbsp lard or dripping

A handful of sage leaves

For the batter

240g/8 oz strong white flour

A pinch of salt

3 eggs

200ml/7fl oz whole milk – approximately

300ml/10 ½ fl oz ale

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Heat a pan and lightly brown the sausages.

Put the flour and salt in a big bowl, make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Using a whisk to stir, gradually add enough of the milk to make a thick paste, then add the ale or beer. The batter should have the consistency of single cream. Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes for the gluten to develop, which will help the batter to rise in the oven.

Rub a little dripping on to the base and sides of the tin. Add a thin layer of the batter and place in the oven to set – about three minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and place the sausages on the set batter. Pour in the remaining batter, being careful to pour around and not over the sausages. Scatter over the sage leaves and bake for about 45 minutes, until it is well puffed up. Serve immediately.

Your letters

What is the difference in quality between sea salt and table salt, asks Bryony Dean. "It's confusing but do chefs use sea salt because it tastes better, if that is possible, or because it is eco-friendly?" There is a snob factor to salt, and I am dubious about the flavour aspect. The food writer Jeffrey Steingarten once lab-tested a number of chic salts against plain old table and found no taste difference in any but one practically unobtainable Japanese variety. There is an environmental benefit to sea salt, in terms of the way that it is produced. I suspect the chefs still believe sea salt to have a better flavour – so let them. As for me, I am delighted by the appearance of sea salt and agree with Steingarten that it is the way you find the large crystals in your mouth when it is sprinkled on the food that makes it more pleasant, and not the taste. In breadmaking, sea salt seems a more natural if rather more pricey ingredient to use.

*Wild Wood by Jan Needle (Golden Duck) is available from Telegraph Books (0844 871 1514) for £9.99 plus £1.10 p & p

Next week: Burger buns. You need strong white flour, yeast, eggs, butter, sesame seeds.