West Cork's signature dish, a black pudding made from pork blood, oatmeal, beef suet, and a closely guarded spice mix. Sliced thick and pan-fried, it is the most copied yet rarely matched of Ireland's blood puddings.

The recipe traces to Johanna O'Brien, a farmer's wife from Sam's Cross who made puddings for Harrington's butcher shop in Clonakilty in the 1880s. The Harrington family kept the secret spice mix going for a century; Edward Twomey bought Harrington's in 1976 and built the Clonakilty brand into the national reference for Irish black pudding.

Where to eat Clonakilty Black Pudding in Cork

4 editor picks for Clonakilty Black Pudding in Cork, ranked by editorial score. All Cork signature dishes · Clonakilty Black Pudding across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves 425 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 8 thick slices Clonakilty black pudding (about 400g)
  • 2 Bramley apples, peeled, cored, sliced into thick rings
  • 1 tbsp Demerara sugar
  • 60g unsalted Irish butter
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Irish cider
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Small bunch watercress
  • 4 thin slices Cashel Blue or Crozier Blue cheese
  • Sea salt, black pepper

Method

  1. Heat half the butter in a wide pan over medium heat.
  2. Place black pudding slices in the pan and fry 3 minutes per side until crisp on the outside and just hot through. Lift to a warm plate.
  3. Add remaining butter to the pan. Dust apple slices with Demerara sugar and add to the pan.
  4. Fry apple rings 2 minutes per side until caramelised at the edges but still holding shape.
  5. Pour cider and vinegar into the pan, scrape up the fond, simmer 1 minute. Stir in mustard and honey to make a glaze.
  6. Plate two black pudding slices per person, top with an apple ring, drizzle pan glaze across the top.
  7. Drape a thin slice of Cashel Blue beside each black pudding and finish with watercress.

Editor tip. Buy the original Clonakilty Edward Twomey ring rather than the supermarket Clonakilty branded one; the artisan ring has visibly more oatmeal flake and a coarser cut.