Well my rule of thumb is to boil the following vegetables for that time before putting them in the ice bath:   1 minute for broccoli 3 minutes for carrots 2 minutes for beans 1 minute for flat beans 4 minutes for cauliflower   Is there a master list out there for the amount of boiling before bathing that will perhaps have better timing and more vegetables on it? 
The good thing about Cumberland sausages is that the meat is supposed to be coarsely chopped and in of itself has a very high meat content. However, all good sausages have this quality also!  So in essence look for a sausage with a high meat content (80%+) and you can't go too far wrong. 