Local Hero: Bury Black Pudding

The Story

Black pudding is made from animal (usually pig) blood mixed with fat and oatmeal and packed into casing. This sausage shaped food is then served boiled, fried or grilled and cut into rounds, or crumbled into small pieces.

Black Pudding first arrived in the UK via European monks, who named the product “blutwurst”, translating to “Blood Sausage”. The monks had visited Yorkshire before making the trip over the Pennines to settle in Bury, Lancashire where this wonderful product was renamed black pudding. And its profile has only grown and grown in the hundreds of years since.

Up until the Seventies, black pudding was mostly available from local butchers and market stalls but today it can be bought in most chain retailers across the country, large or small.

Traditionally, black pudding is eaten as part of a fried breakfast but in recent years restaurants, Michelin starred chefs, and food manufacturers have been experimenting in the kitchen and getting creative with recipes that include it. And in January 2016, black pudding was even hailed as a “superfood”, due to its high protein, potassium, calcium and magnesium content – as well as being low carb and loaded with iron and zinc.

Safe to say, Bury black pudding’s profile is higher than ever, with fans eating it all year round, and in more meals and recipes than ever before.

The Manufacturer: The Bury Black Pudding Company

The Bury Black Pudding Company has grown from a tiny market stall with a small production facility into an award-winning business with a turnover of £5.8 million and customers all over the world – from small independents to large supermarkets. Their recipe dates back over 100 years but remains mostly unchanged, with traditional production methods carried forward by the company’s Mr Jack Morris

As the only black pudding manufacturer actually based in Bury, the area is intrinsic to the brand identity, and in fact, at age 12, The Bury Black Pudding Company founder and Managing Director, Debbie Pierce, sold black puddings at the World Famous Bury Market.

Under the guidance of local farmer James Wallace and producers Jack and Richard Morris, she realised there was something very special about this great Northern delicacy and took over the market stall when James retired in 2002. As the company tells us, “Debbie had the foresight to develop a food website to offer black pudding throughout the UK – which was an instant hit. Business was going from strength to strength, Debbie then turned her attention to the major retailers, and from an initial order in just 4 local stores in 2002 The Bury Black Pudding Company are now stocked nationally in major supermarkets and national wholesalers across the UK.”

And the company are thrilled that the food industry is falling increasingly in love with their product, “Black pudding can basically go with anything. Chefs and TV programmes have educated audiences to be more adventurous with food, and helped make cooking look much easier than everyone thought it was. Black pudding has been included in recipes on TV many times now, so along with online recipes and recipe books, customers are realising just how versatile black puddings can be.“

In fact, The Bury Black Pudding Company even feature in several regional cookbooks (available on their website), explaining “The Manchester Cookbook and The Lancashire Cookbook] asked us to get involved, and we like to be included and to help local projects.”

They’ve also extended their reach by offering a range of black pudding flavours, and options for different dietary requirements. “[Though] our main recipe outsells any other by far, the Chilli Black Pudding is a hit with foodies and does well at food shows. Our vegetarian and vegan options become more popular as the market gains more focus, and our gluten-free black pudding is a great alternative for coeliac sufferers. We’ve always aimed to offer every format of black pudding that customers may require, taking our time to ensure the recipes are perfect to ensure the quality is just as good as the main black pudding recipe. It’s important for us to keep track of trends and ensure we offer options for all our customers”.

Black Pudding on Erudus

The Bury Black Pudding Company has endless choices of black pudding, including White Pudding – basically like a boiled sausage with a slightly firmer texture. It’s made with pork meat – no blood is involved and it’s very different to black pudding.

There’s also…

• Gluten Free Black Pudding Stick
• Vegetarian/Vegan Black Pudding Stick
• Gluten Free Black Pudding Chub
• Vegetarian/Vegan Black Pudding Chub
• Black Pudding Discs
• Frozen Black Pudding

Use Recipe Builder

Use the Recipe Builder to create new black pudding recipes. Not only can you experiment with the best culinary pairings, but Recipe Builder will automatically aggregate all nutritional values, costs and allergy statements as you add ingredients. So, you’ll have delicious new recipes with the product specs already taken care of.

Use Query Builder

Many customers these days have dietary restrictions, but with our advanced Query Builder search function you can make sure you’ve got them covered. With Query Builder you can search our Data Pool using data points such as allergens NME Sugars, suitable for vegans, and approved for a Halal diet.

Find the perfect accompaniment

Black pudding at the ready? We’ve picked some perfect products on Erudus for you to enjoy it with…

Make the perfect full English breakfast:

Midland Bacon Company Smoked Rindless Streaky/Back Bacon

Ellis Eggs Medium Free-Range Eggs

The Big Kitchen Gourmet Lincolnshire Sausage

Ivory and Ledoux Ltd Sliced Mushrooms

Fairway Foodservice Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce

Jacksons Bakery Sandwich Bread

Why not try black pudding on a Cheeseboard:

Carron Lodge Ltd Edam Wedge

Appleby Creamery Ltd Eden Valley Brie

South Caernarfon Creameries Mature White Cheddar Cheese