Black Pudding Championship proves tasty honour for Arbroath butcher

UK’s first Black Pudding Championship for Arbroath butcher

A Scottish butcher who dusted off a pre-war recipe to make it battle-ready has been crowned the first ever Black Pudding UK Champion of Champions.

D H Robertson in Arbroath saw off some of the finest black pudding makers in the UK to win what is seen as the ultimate butchers’ challenge in a head-to-head title race in London.

And as the country celebrates National Black Pudding Day 2025 (Tuesday, March 18), shop owner Steven Bennett said he was “bursting with pride” on learning of their success.

“This is just amazing – overwhelming,” he said. “To be judged as making the best black pudding in the whole of the UK is such an honour. We faced some amazing talent from the rest of the country and came out tops – that’s just fantastic.”

Staged by Scottish Craft Butchers (SCB), National Craft Butchers and Q Guild of Butchers, the prestigious event could become an annual or biennial battle among national and regional champion black pudding makers to find the ultimate master.

Steven was invited to compete as the current East of Scotland and reserve national Scottish champion with his black pudding already wowing Scottish judges. The step up to UK level, however, saw his family favourite take on England’s finest as well as Scottish competition.

And the black pudding that swept the boards is a closely guarded pre-WW2 recipe that Steven tweaked slightly to make it competition ready.

“It’s a recipe we inherited from Doug Robertson, a former owner of the business,” explained Steven. “The recipe book came with the shop.
“We reckon it dates back to before the Second World War and although our customers have been enjoying it for generations, I decided to dust it down and give it a wee tweak or two for today’s palette.”

Those tweaks proved a masterstroke with Steven’s hand-mixed, small batch, black pudding putting Arbroath back in the culinary spotlight alongside the town’s famous Smokies.

“It’s tremendous that a wee family business in a small coastal town in Scotland can triumph over the Goliaths of the industry,” he said. “I’m so proud of my whole team for this amazing achievement. I never expected it in my wildest dreams.”

Steven believes black pudding was introduced to Scotland from France and England with the northerners adapting it to make it their own.
“For our version to beat the English is quite something,” he said.

And he’s not parting with the winning recipe, claiming his UK beating black pudding’s secrets are firmly under lock and key.

Steven runs the Arbroath family butcher business with a team of 12 staff, including his wife Pam and butcher daughter Ariane. And the team has boosted production in the run-up to National Black Pudding Day and the Champion of Champions announcement.

“We make all our black pudding with Scottish ingredients and love,” said Steven, “and we’ll be happy to work 24 hours to meet demand if people want to taste the best black pudding in the UK.”

Gordon King, executive manager of Scottish Craft Butchers, said the Championship win was due recognition for Scotland’s independent craft butchers.

“Everyone invited to compete is a champion in their own right,” said Gordon, “so it really was a battle of the Titans.

“Black Pudding competitions are always fiercely fought events among our butchers and the UK title was the one they all wanted to win – especially as it’s the first ever champions’ showdown of its type.

“Scotland fielded a really strong team of regional and national champions and DH Robertson’s win underpins the belief that our small producers of high-quality food can triumph at UK level against the fiercest competition. It’s heart-warming to know that our members are not only considered the best but judged the best. You don’t have to be big to win big.”

Black pudding is now recognised by health experts as a superfood – full of nutritional ingredients that give each recipe its own blend of taste, aroma and palate-pleasing flavours.

The Black Pudding UK Champion of Champions panel of judges, headed by meat industry expert Keith Fisher, faced a difficult task when faced with the best in the business. Twelve products were judged in total – both raw and cooked.

“All the entries were excellent examples of the diversity of our country’s black pudding, making our job almost impossible,” they reported. “However, the winner had an excellent uncooked appearance, with complex flavour notes providing different taste experience throughout. Fruity notes, with lovely pepper aftertaste.”