Top 8: From Clonakilty to Rosscarbery, rating the best black and white puddings 

Dig into these black and white puddings.

I was taken aback when doing a nutritional analysis of black and white puddings. I never expected my breakfast treat to have quite so much fat – up to 21% in some. It comes mainly from bacon and pork meat and added pork fat.

Salt levels were high too. It’s easy to exceed the Food Safety Authority's maximum recommendation of 4g salt per day. An Irish breakfast often comes with rashers and sausages, so as well as 0.5g in one slice of pudding, just one rasher could have 1.5g and a sausage 1g. And that’s before you slather butter on your toast.

The flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate was listed in some of the Top 8 we sampled. The additive gets bad press, and is known to provoke a reaction in some, but often it really does enhance flavour.

Black pudding contains some iron and zinc from the blood content and a fair amount of satisfying protein which white pudding has too. We were impressed with gluten-free offerings which non-coeliacs can share and enjoy. Use gluten-free white pudding for bread-free stuffing. Both are good spread lightly on toast as a snack or in sandwiches for the beach (summer is coming, right?).

Cut into slices, they freeze well to rescue dull soups and stews. Both are cooked easily in an air fryer, where some of the fat will drain off. Frying tends to crisp it up and retain the fat.

Rosscarbery black and white pudding. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Rosscarbery Recipes Black Pudding 280g €2.70

Our overall top scorer for gluten-free and regular puddings, all three varieties have a decent 50% pork, including dry-cured bacon. The black pudding has 18% pork blood powder (5% in the gluten-free version) and 1.75mg salt. There is MSG in the white pudding. Fats are 14.2% in the white, and 15.7% in both black puddings. Tasters loved the meatiness which came through the well-balanced spicing.

Score: 9.5

Clonakilty twin pack. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Clonakilty Black Pudding & White Pudding 260g €3.30

This black pudding has oatmeal, Irish beef fat 25%, beef blood powder, salt 1.9%, while the white pudding has 35% Irish pork, oatmeal, pork fat, onions, with salt 1.7%, fats 15.1%. Both have well-balanced seasoning and the crumbly texture of the black pudding has made this product easily recognisable and deservedly well-liked. Tasters loved them both.

Score: 9

De Róiste black and white pudding. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

De Róiste Black & White Pudding 280g €2.69

Plenty of well-flavoured Irish cured pork (22%) in the black and white puddings is paired with oatmeal, flake meal, and fresh onion. In the black pudding there is porcine (pig’s) blood, along with subtle, well-balanced herbs and spices. Salt is a high 2.4% in the black, with 2% in the white pudding. Fats are a good low 9.8% in the black and 15.4% in the white pudding. Tasters liked both.

Score: 8.75

Rudd's roulade. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Rudd’s Chef’s Table Roulade 240g €3

With a relatively low 9.1% fats and high enough 1.95% salt, this product was a top scorer for flavour and texture with just enough gentle spicing. We were also interested in the newest product – Leaner Black Pudding (€3) which has just 2.1% fats. Fat adds flavour we like, so it was lacking here a little, but a blob of chutney would solve that for those watching fat intake.

Score: 8.75

James Whelan twin pack. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

James Whelan Black & White puddings 330g €4.99

The black pudding has oatmeal, onions, beef suet, pork sausage, and dried blood. Salt is a high enough 1.9%, and high 19.6% fats with seasoning and spicing that tasters agreed could have been a little bolder. The soft textured white pudding made with pork sausage and beef suet held its shape well during cooking and was nicely seasoned with salt 1.7%; fats are 15.1%. Tasters liked the texture and taste.

Score: 8.5

Hodgins black and white pudding. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

Hodgins Gluten-Free Black & White Puddings 300g €2.29

A good pair of gluten-free products here with rice and pea starch used instead of grains. Traditional flavours – onion, spices, herbs suit the 20% cured pork, along with dried bovine blood for the black pudding, delivering a fair 11.5% fats and a high salt 2.3%.

The white has 30% cured pork, resulting in fats 14%, salt 2%. Another good Irish product.

Score: 8.5

Hanleys Roulade. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Hanleys Roulade 370g €2.19

These black and white puddings have good meaty flavours which tasters liked. The black pudding has 26% bacon. pork fat, oatmeal, barley, dried blood powder 5%, beef, spices and pimento. Fats 14.4% include added pork fat. The white pudding has bacon 37%, onions, spices. The salt content on the pack is a high 3.18%. Tasters enjoyed both, but remarked on the salty taste. Made in Mitchelstown, Co Cork. We bought in Aldi.

Score: 8

O'Flynn's Black and White pudding. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

O’Flynn’s Black & White Puddings 300g €2.50

Blood, pork fat, oatmeal, rusk and onion in the black pudding has slightly harsh spicing liked by only half of the tasters. Fats are a fair 12.2%, with low 0.84% salt which appealed to tasters.

With 35% pork, the white pudding won tasters over with fats a low enough 10.2% and salt 0.93%, along with oatmeal, rusk, onion. Made in Cork.

Score: 8