Black pudding bid sticks to Stornoway 16/2/11
The Comhairle has backed down from considering labelling blood puddings from the Isle of Harris under the renowned Stornoway black pudding brand.
Producers were aghast that some councillors were effectively mooting tagging the foodstuff as from the rival island of Lewis.
Now the council admits it has no powers to change the boundaries which have been designated for a European bid to legally protect the Stornoway delicacy from imposters.
A council spokesman diplomatically maintained there was a “misunderstanding” between officials and councillors when the issue cooked up a lively debate in the council chambers last Wednesday afternoon.
The meeting endorsed the campaign by the Stornoway Black Pudding Producers’ Association to seek legal rules to save the Stornoway black pudding from copycat products which are harming the islands' trade in the quality foodstuff.
But councillors argued puddings from Ness in north Lewis and from Harris were just as good if not better.
Officials said they were “happy to pursue” the issue and would ask all butchers across Lewis and Harris if they wanted to come under the Stornoway black pudding umbrella.
But a council spokesman said it no longer intends to approach the other butchers.
He explained: “It’s not the council’s application. It is the producers’ group.
“The council is supporting the application but wouldn’t have the authority to change the boundaries.
“The deadline for the submission is three weeks away so it is unlikely that the producers group would change the boundaries now.”
AD Munro said he would have robustly flung out any suggestion to relabel the acclaimed Harris pudding as a Stornoway product.
He stressed: “I am happy they are not progressing this. I would never accept it.”
He added: “We sell all the Harris black puddings we can make, no bother.
“We sell the Stornoway black pudding along with our own in our shop and they both sell very well. It gives people a choice.”
Rona Morrison of Cross Stores in Ness said: “We would rather retain the Ness black pudding than have it lumped in with the Stornoway label.
The official consultation ends next month and a bid will be made to European Union to award the same special legal status which protects foods like Melton Mowbray pork pies and Champagne from inferior imitations.