Black pudding made from deer blood to hit UK

Vikki Banks of Seriously Good Venison. Picture: Contributed

A Perthshire firm has created an unusual version of the Scottish favourite from venison reared, slaughtered and bled on their farm in Fife.

The pudding will be the first commercially produced black pudding made with deer blood in the UK and retails at £17.85 per kilo.

Vikki Banks, the director of the Seriously Good Venison, said that customers may be surprised by the taste of their unusual delicacy.

She said: “people expect it to have a gamey and strong flavour, but that flavour is in the meat.”

Most of the flavour in the pudding comes from their herb and spice mix, but according to the retailer the deer blood still adds an extra dimension to the food.

Ms Banks said: “The difference is that we use fresh blood, not dried like most other puddings, which makes it smoother and creamier in texture.”

She revealed that acquiring venison blood had been accomplished “with difficulty” and that vets were heavily involved in the production process to ensure that animal health standards were met.

The pudding has been met with approval so far, with tasting panels confirming it as a hit with consumers.

Ms Banks said: “We had identified a gap in the market and developed several recipes.”

“However, we needed specialist support to establish the facts about customer taste preferences and perceptions of the product concept.”

Dr Laura Wyness, senior research fellow with the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University led the trials.

She said: “Not only did our research indicate that the new venison black pudding was high in iron and vitamin B12 and a source of protein, it also confirmed that consumers were happy to purchase and eat black pudding developed from deer.”

The pudding will be available from the firm’s website and at local farmers’ markets.