On the train back from Cornwall this week I was wondering what to do with the hog's pudding I had purchased on the campsite. The obvious thing would be to use it in a cooked breakfast. However, just as many people have tried using black pudding in salads or starters it occured to me that white pudding or hog's pudding could be used that way too. I had never heard of hog's pudding until a year ago but it seems to be Cornwall and Devon's answer to the white pudding of Scotland and Ireland.

 hogs pudding 2

There are some important differences. The label on my hog's pudding above says

Pork 70%, wheatflower (sic), rusk, raising agent, E503, spices, flavourings, herbs, chilli powder
no white pudding would have anything like that amount of pork and would probably be more like 70% oatmeal or barley. Oats were not mentioned but rusk is used  in the above ingredients list. Some articles I have seen on hog's pudding refer to the use of oatmeal or barley groats. Apparently the spices used differ from Cornwall to Devon - according to Sausagelinks the Cornish seasoning is pepper, nutmeg, thyme and parsley and coriander while the Devon seasoning is mace, nutmeg, thyme and cayenne.

I thought it would be fun to make a salad that brought out the pork and chilli tastes and complement them with citrus, basil and spices.

Serves 2

Ingredients

200 g hog's pudding
4 rashers streaky bacon
60 g salad leaves with a robust taste (used wild rocket and 'italian leaves')
1 red onion
1 green chilli
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
one lime
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp onion seed
salt
pepper

Method

1. Roughly chop the red onion and finely chop garlic & chilli and fry gently
2. Slice hog's pudding into slices (about 5 mm thick) and put on a tray under the grill with the bacon until hog's pudding is brown and bacon is crisp

 hogs pudding

3. Once onions are softening add the fennel and onion seed
4. Toss together the leaves, tomato and spring onions
5. Heat the lime juice and olive oil (seasoned with salt and pepper) in a pan
6. Place the hog's pudding, bacon, onions and chilli on the mixed salad
7. Add the hot lime/oil dressing and serve