Seumas MacInnes, one of Scotland's premier restaurateurs and owner of the iconic Cafe Gandolfi in Glasgow, is not afraid to take issue with the national bard over the sobriquet 'Great chieftain o' the puddin race'. Without slighting the qualities of haggis, or indeed white pudding, he wholeheartedly maintains that the title rightfully belongs to black pudding - and, very specifically, Stornoway black pudding. Raised in Glasgow with a Hebridean heritage, he rates black pudding as a versatile and uniquely flavoursome ingredient which can be served in myriad ways that will come as a revelation to those who still mistakenly associate the humble marag dubh solely with fried breakfasts. The 100 recipes in The Stornoway Black Pudding Bible include everything from the Cafe Gandolfi's black pudding and mushrooms with pancakes, to black pudding pakoras, black pudding tarts and black pudding, chorizo and bean stew. Black - or blood - pudding has a venerable past that stretches back to allusions in Homeric literature and a present that ensures its enduring popularity in the cuisines of, among others, Spain, France and Portugal.
The Stornoway Black Pudding Bible is a celebration of the quality and versatility of black pudding, and above all is an encouragement to strike out in novel and fresh ways of cooking and enjoying this remarkable and underrated ingredient.