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Scotland’s first venison black pudding is serious hit

University research has shown that Scotland’s first ever venison black pudding has the potential to be a serious hit with foodies.

Food scientists from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (QMU) have been running trials of the new food product which will be the first commercially produced black pudding made with venison blood in the UK. 

Specialists from the Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at Queen Margaret University (QMU) were tasked with identifying if consumers were keen to deviate from the traditional black pudding recipe which is usually made from onions, pork fat, oatmeal, flavourings and pigs’ blood. The scientists ran consumer taste panels and focus groups for the Perth based company Seriously Good Venison to gauge consumer reaction to the new product concept and to investigate consumer taste preferences for different flavoured venison black puddings.

The food scientists identified that the venison black pudding was a rich source of iron and vitamin B12. The results of taste panels, which focused on flavour and texture, confirmed that new venison black pudding was a bit hit with the consumer tasters.

Vikki Banks, Director of Seriously Good Venison, has been running her venison business since 2009. She explained: “We had identified a gap in the market for the UK’s first black pudding made from deer.  We developed several recipes – one original recipe and another which would be suitable for the gluten-free market. However, we needed specialists support to establish the facts about customer taste preferences and perceptions of the product concept.”

Dr Laura Wyness, Senior Research Fellow with Scottish Centre for Food Development and Innovation at QMU, said: “There is currently no venison black pudding available in the UK, so this new food offers the consumer a new and distinctive product from the traditional Scottish recipe.

“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.”

Consumer sensory panellists were asked to rank the new food product based on aroma, taste, texture, aftertaste and overall liking.

Dr Wyness continued: “We were pleased to report that there was a consumer acceptance of the new product and that panellists reported very favourably about the taste and texture of Seriously Good Venison’s black pudding. As the only producer of this venison black pudding, we feel that Seriously Good Venison now has a distinctive commercial advantage. We hope our research work will support the company in bringing this tasty new product to the market place.”

Lucky guests at ‘Dining on the Wild Side’, a unique food event developed by The Edinburgh International Science Festival, will be one of the first to taste the new venison black pudding which will be incorporated into a unique dish containing the Scottish superfood sea buckthorn.  Held on the 16th April, the gastronomic event will see food enthusiasts tuck into a three course meal containing wild meat, fish and foraged fruits and vegetables, and will offer guests the opportunity to hear from chef Ben Reade and TV presenter and author Alys Fowler.