National Black Pudding Day

Black pudding is considered to be one of the most important traditional butcher staples in Scotland and Ireland, as well as other places in the UK. Not only placed on breakfast plates at home but also found as a gourmet menu item in fine dining establishments, this time-honored food is certainly worth celebrating and deserves its day in the sun. 

National Black Pudding Day is here to give this tasty delicacy the love it deserves!

History of National Black Pudding Day

The idea behind National Black Pudding Day is to celebrate the craft behind black pudding, which is a traditional product from Britain and Ireland. Having enjoyed a revival of popularity in recent years, black pudding is a diverse and delicious food with an interesting history that goes back to at least the 14th century.

Although there are some variations on flavor, the versions of black pudding from Scotland, Ireland, as well as France and Spain, are basically the same food. Black pudding is a sort of sausage that is typically made from pork blood, or sometimes beef blood, and combined with various fillers such as oats, suet and spices. One particular kind of black pudding, called Stornoway, includes sheep’s lungs as well as the other standard ingredients.

The Irish version of National Black Pudding Day was launched in 2019 when it was started by a collaboration of butchers and chefs including The Smokin’ Butcher, Hugh Macguire, and Darina Allen. The day has been celebrated in early November in Ireland but didn’t gain traction in other places.

Beginning in 2024, a Scottish and UK version of National Black Pudding Day was planned through the support of the National Craft Butchers and Scottish Craft Butchers. With the hope that this foodstuff will receive similar attention as its famous cousin, haggis, National Black Pudding Day has been called for by various people including Scotland’s Black Pudding Champion, butcher Nigel Ovens.

How to Celebrate National Black Pudding Day

Get involved in enjoying and celebrating National Black Pudding Day with some of these ideas to connect with:

Eat Some Black Pudding

Those who live in a place where black pudding is accessible at a local restaurant or pub, National Black Pudding Day would be the perfect time to head on out and celebrate by ordering up a full Irish or an “Irish fry-up”. Enjoy the black pudding with bacon rashers, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and obviously some traditional Irish soda bread.

Try a New Black Pudding Recipe

With the opportunity to grill, fry, bake, simmer or even microwave black pudding, there are all sorts of ways that black pudding can be prepared. But for those who want to go beyond just the traditional, perhaps National Black Pudding Day would be the right time to get a bit creative. Consider some of these interesting recipes to try that feature black pudding:

• Black pudding sausage rolls with chorizo, and goat cheese
• Black pudding salad with caramelized apples and honey mustard dressing
• Black pudding breakfast with diced garlic potatoes and baked eggs
• Black pudding on sourdough with smashed avocado