Belfast Porter adds punch to black puddings

SculleryMade, the Northern Irish artisan producer of black puddings, has launched an innovative product using grains left from brewing craft ale.

The small business, which is based in Belfast and is owned by artisan producer Caoimhe McAtee, has just added Belfast Black Brew to its developing range of black puddings.

"I've used the spent grains from traditional Irish porter that I've created for the new pudding which is now on sale in delis across Northern Ireland," Caoimhe says.

"The new product combines my love of black puddings with a longstanding interest in craft brewing ales and cider over many years. It also seemed a good idea to create an innovative product based on the heritage of porter brewing and black pudding production that has been a feature in Belfast over many generations. Interest in varieties of black puddings has also been stimulated by reports listing it among superfoods.

"I love the flavours of porter and decided to experiment with it in other foods including black puddings, another traditional food that I enjoy immensely," she adds. She's also used porter to give scotch eggs a "bit of a kick".

A biomedical scientist by profession, Caoimhe started Scullerymade on a part-time basis and has since won acclaim and business for her developing range of artisan foods.

"I love cooking and always had from my childhood. I carried this into my days as a student, then as a researcher and now in developing my artisan business," she continues.

The first step into part-time food production came when she began making cider at home. "My father, Sean, produces cider and runs the Mac's Armagh Cider business in Forkhill in county Armagh."

In 2014, she began making pure juice herself cider using Cox's and Bramley apples because of their "acidity and tartness". "Cider makers here steer away from apple concentrates because of their sugar content and the use of preservatives. It's the use of pure apple juice that gives Northern Irish ciders a point of difference from many of those in Britain," she says. She experimented with a champagne yeast to give the cider "a bit of a sparkle".

She then moved onto to brewing beer, especially porter. Black Brew black pudding is made using mild spices, nutmeg and cinnamon with the porter.