Boom of the unlikely new superfood – the Scots black pudding
IT is perhaps 2016’s most unlikely food craze.
But the news that black pudding is good for you has led to a boom in orders for an island butcher – famed for producing some of the best blood sausages in the world.
Charles Macleod Butchers has seen the postal demand for its popular delicacy increase eight fold in the past few days.
The business is putting the New Year surge down to claims from food experts that the traditional sausage will be a fad superfood this year.
Last week black pudding was listed as one of the foods expected to soar in popularity because of its nutritional benefits.
Loaded with protein, calcium and iron, as well as being practically carb free, it is expected to fly off the shelves in the months ahead.
Shona Macleod, managing director of the butcher shop on Stornoway, said: ‘The shop has just opened again. I opened the mail orders and we had about 40 black pudding orders to go out today. That’s a lot for the first day in January.
‘On the first day that you come back in the New Year, there are usually about five or six postal orders. There are a lot of London orders now and orders from Sheffield, lots of different places.’
Miss Macleod said the business is in the process of expanding and she expects the sale of their Stornoway Black Pudding to treble in the next five years. ‘ We are building an extension now for a stand-alone black pudding factory,’ she said.
‘I think it must be the only black pudding factory in the world. We will be able to do a lot more.
‘We’re hopefully going to be looking to send them abroad as well.’
The Western Isles are famed for producing some of the world’s best black pudding.
In 2013, Stornoway Black Pudding was given the same protected status in Europe as champagne.
The decision followed a campaign by four island butchers, and means black pudding can only be described as from Stornoway if it is made in the town. Lorna MacLen- nan, another director at Charles Macleod, said it was a ‘surprise’ to hear black pudding is tipped as the next big superfood.
She said: ‘I think it is an interesting one because it is not always classed as a health food given the i ngredients, but it i s actually packed with iron and protein so it’s quite nice to see it is being recognised for its benefits.
‘Traditionally in the Hebrides it was a real staple on every kitchen table because they wanted to use every part of the animal. Black pudding was a great way of using up some of your by-products.’
She added: ‘You don’t need to eat a lot of it, it’s very filling, and you get all your iron with just a small portion.’
Darren Beale, from Muscle-Food. com, said: ‘2015 saw healthy eating reach a new level and this year this trend is only going to get bigger.
‘It’s been interesting to note how people are changing their habits.
‘Some of the foods have been on the up for a while, like avocado oil and maca root, but others like mushrooms and black pudding have been a total surprise to us.’
‘Packed with iron and protein’