FOOD NOTES

Forty years ago in the small town of Clonakilty, in Ireland, Colette Twomey and her husband, Edward, took over the local butcher’s – inheriting a secret black pudding recipe originating from the 1880s with it.

After falling in love with the product, they started selling it across the country and abroad. Edward sadly passed away in 2005 and today Colette is the only person who knows the exact secret recipe. She tells us how they spread the word about their product…

What’s so special about your black pudding? The taste, the texture and our secret blend of spices. Why did you decide to start making black pudding?

We realised how special it was and how popular it was locally. What’s the best way to

serve/eat your product? Slice it into 2cm-thick rounds and cook on a hot dry pan for two minutes each side – as simple as that! It is traditionally eaten at breakfast, but we have so many chefs and home-cooks using it in different ways, with fish, in salads, in pasta dishes… It’s just so versatile and adds so much flavour. What’s the best thing about running your business? The family feel that surrounds you.

What do you love about being based where you are? Clonakilty is the heart, the soul, the pulse of everything and it gives me great pleasure to be a part of this feel-good factor. What’s next for your

company? Continued growth in the UK. We’ve got a foothold in the market from our Irish connections that live there, but we want to connect with more British cooks and foodies and encourage them to try our product and get them cooking with it! We know they’ll love it. Three words to sum up your company? Traditional, passionate and homely. Clonakilty

Food Co, clonakiltyblack pudding.ie.