Right, you lot! I need Black Pudding!!!!!!!

[spikeyhead]

If you're that keen on knowing the provenance of your black pudding, visit your local blood donor centre and once you've donated steal it back

[karona]

Kermit power said:

sherman said:

As black pudding is made from the bits of animal that you don't want to know about, a pile of spices and blood, what's the point in it being free range? You wont be able to tell the difference after all the spices mask the flavour of the minced meat.

I'm not buying free range because it tastes better, or at least not exclusively, anyway. I buy free range for ethical reasons.

As for "the bits of the animal you don't want to know about", there aren't any, really. I'll quite happily tuck in to the stomach, pancreas, testicles, brains, hearts, livers kidneys and various other wibbly-wobbly bits of various animals, just so long as I know they've had a decent life before they get slaughtered.

Strangely enough, here in Bulgaria, where pigs are almost sacred, the only bits not eaten are the gall-bladder and the blood. I introduced the villagers to haggis and black pudding, and asked why they didn't produce something similar. 'Because we don't" was the reply.
The method of slaughter means that most of the blood is wasted anyway: Stick a knife in its kneck and wait for the screaming to stop.
This was how I spent my Boxing day:
linky
http://old.vagabond.bg/?page=review&sub=38&amp...

Within a couple of hours a 165 kilo porker was reduced to its component parts, much wine and rakia was consumed, and the assembled company served with fresh pork liver braised in red wine with plums and red pepper, mmmm-MMMMM-mmmm, yummy.

[Kermit power]

N Dentressangle said:

Do these guys:

http://www.realmeat.co.uk/index.html

have a shop near you?

They do, but unfortunately, they don't do Black Pudding!

[blod]

Have you thought about rearing your own? Some friends of mine have tried this.
The kids were a bit sad when it went to slaughter, but were keen to try the meat afterwards.
Your neighbours might object though.

Edited by blod on Tuesday 5th January 20:43

[bga]

Don said:

sherman said:

As black pudding is made from the bits of animal that you dont want to know about.

No. No it's not. Black pudding is largely blood pudding. Nowt wrong with blood and oatmeal and wee bit of belly fat. Good wholesome stuff.

Mmmm.

To be fair most people don't want to know about the blood, their loss, black pudding is delicious.

A bit O/T, lots of butchers stopped making their own black pudding as the ancient boilers they used had a habit of blowing up and most couldn't be bothered to fix or replace them.

[stevenr]

[/quote]the real Scottish thing (Stornoway black pudding) here
[/quote]

Can't get better than this anywhere,do it!

[sherman]

Don said:

sherman said:

Don said:

sherman said:

As black pudding is made from the bits of animal that you dont want to know about.

No. No it's not. Black pudding is largely blood pudding. Nowt wrong with blood and oatmeal and wee bit of belly fat. Good wholesome stuff.

Mmmm.

OOps getting my haggis recipes and black pudding recipes mixed up.

Now haggis is made with "lights" (lungs). Personally I reckon nowt wrong with them either once they're in a lovely haggis. Mmmmmm. Burns Night before long. I will mostly be eating haggis, tatties and neaps. (Only half Scottish but it's a good excuse.)

The haggis is made with sheeps stomach and other internal organs (most of which someone in their right mind would not touch on its own normally) which are then minced and mixed with a selection of spices and oatmeal.

p.s I am fully Scottish and even had Haggis, Neeps and Tatties for dinner tonight. Its not just a meal for once a year.

[blod]

These little fellers are being bred for meat.



And no, that's not a cage. It's a fence to stop them wandering down the lane.

[poprock]

I’m lucky enough to have friends who breed rare breed pigs and occasionally slaughter for food. Half a pig fills our freezer for six months or so!

We only tried home-made black pudding from their blood the one time. Whilst it was undeniably wonderful, the effort involved (mainly due to the scale involved in using up a whole pig’s worth of blood) was enormous … and one of the world’s vilest smells is that of boiling blood. I hope I never have to experience that again.

Whilst the result was good, nothing I’ve ever found can touch genuine Stornoway black pudding. It’s leagues ahead of anything else. One of my local butchers in Glasgow stocks it for around seven or eight quid a pudding (1.4Kg size, I think).

Yes, you can safely freeze the stuff. Here’s a tip from my wife: Slice the pudding before freezing. Don’t slice all the way through, leave a tiny bit attached at the bottom of each cut. Slip a piece of greaseproof paper between each slice. Then when you want to defrost some, just snap off however many slices you need.

[toasty]

Mmmmm black pudding , you do need to make sure the pig gets plenty of exercise first though.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8442...

[Cotty]

Kermit power said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Outstanding!

Assuming they can be frozen, half a dozen would be good.

They can be frozen

[FunkyGibbon]

IMHO George Stafford's Black Puddings are the best you can get, as also recommended by Rick Stein...

http://www.rickstein.com/Poultry-and-Meat.html

Rick Stein said:

George Stafford Ltd c/o Barry Fitch Butchers
135 Alfreton Road, Little Eaton, Derbyshire DE21 5DF
Tel: [phone]

Black puddings by mail order. If visiting the shop, call first to make an appointment.

You will not be disappointed.

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/spondon/Black-pu...

[Kneetrembler]

The very best Black Pudding that I have ever tasted comes from Burgos in Spain and is known as Morcillo de Burgos http://spanish-food.suite101.com/article.cfm/morci...

[GG89]

stevenr said:

the real Scottish thing (Stornoway black pudding) here

Can't get better than this anywhere,do it!

Got some of this stuff in the fridge, It is outstanding.

[poprock]

Kneetrembler said:

The very best Black Pudding that I have ever tasted comes from Burgos in Spain and is known as Morcillo de Burgos http://spanish-food.suite101.com/article.cfm/morci...

Morcilla (or Spanish black pudding) is a different beast entirely. It has a sweetness that none of the varieties from the British Isles have, because of the raisins, sultanas and spices added to the mixture.

[Kneetrembler]

poprock said:

Kneetrembler said:

The very best Black Pudding that I have ever tasted comes from Burgos in Spain and is known as Morcillo de Burgos http://spanish-food.suite101.com/article.cfm/morci...

Morcilla (or Spanish black pudding) is a different beast entirely. It has a sweetness that none of the varieties from the British Isles have, because of the raisins, sultanas and spices added to the mixture.

WRONG, If you have ever had Morcillo de Burgos you would not have made that comment as it has none of those items that you mention in it.
In particular it has rice in it and it certainly is not sweet.
It is normally cut in very thick slices and served plain grilled

[poprock]

Interesting … so morcilla de Burgos is as different from normal morcilla as Stornoway black pudding is from the inferior English stuff. Good to know. I’ll have to try it someday.

[otolith]

poprock said:

Interesting … so morcilla de Burgos is as different from normal morcilla as Stornoway black pudding is from the inferior English stuff.

To be fair, most of the black pudding sold in England is inferior to proper Lancashire black pudding. I'm afraid that in my book, if you slice it and fry it rather than poaching it whole in its skin, and especially if it comes in a synthetic rather than natural casing, it is an inferior black pudding.

[Don]

Aren't all Black Puddings poached first, anyway? Then you slice and fry to get a nice browned outside...

[bga]

Kneetrembler said:

WRONG, If you have ever had Morcillo de Burgos you would not have made that comment as it has none of those items that you mention in it.
In particular it has rice in it and it certainly is not sweet.
It is normally cut in very thick slices and served plain grilled

The morcilla they sell in the Mercadona where we stay definitely has spices in it. It is a bit sweeter than the black pudding we get in the UK but have never had any with raisins though