2 litres blood
Casings, beef runners of large hog casings (optional)
3 onions, finely chopped
1 kg of suet or diced pork fat (back fat or bacon fat)
500ml double cream
500g oatmeal, soaked overnight in water)
500g barley, boiled in water for 30 minutes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon mixed herbs or ground coriander
1 teaspoon black pepper or cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground mace

Soften the onions in a quarter of the fat, make sure that they do not colour. Add the rest of the fat and leave to slowly sweat for 10 minutes
Add the oatmeal and cream and cook for a few minutes
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir over a gentle heat for 5 minutes
If you are using skins, these can now be filled and sealed with two knots. The puddings can then be poached in barely simmering water for 5 – 10 minutes. Splitting is common, to avoid this prick the puddings with a needle and cook on the lowest possible simmer (better to cook them very, very slowly then to lose them). Any pudding which floats to the top should also be pricked, they are cooked when brown liquid comes out. They can then be drained and kept in a fridge for 1 – 2 weeks
An easier method is to bake the pudding in an ovenproof tin, and cook in a bain marie (by standing the tin in a larger tin half filled with water) in a low oven (160 degree or gas mark 2) for 1 – 2 hours. Make sure that the mixture has started to thicken and coat your stirring spoon before pouring into the tin and stir well first (this should ensure that the ingredients are evenly mixed). You can then cut slices and fry or bake