If you know one thing about Bury, it’s probably black pudding. Around here, the blood sausage is a non-negotiable breakfast item, which Tony Sinacola proudly tells us, ‘has been around for 4,000 years – it was in The Iliad’. We’re listening.
Mary and Tony Sinacola are the husband and wife duo who have run Chadwick’s Original Bury Black Pudding for the last four-and-a-bit decades of its nearly 100 year run. The Chadwicks are Mary’s side of the family, and while it’s a love of fishing that brought her and Tony together, it’s a love of black pudding that’s kept them that way. And judging by the daily queues that snake around the market every day, the feeling around here is mutual.
The version of black pudding that is consumed in Bury and the wider Lancashire region might not be that old (they use pigs blood, where as the ancients – probably the ones in The Iliad – used camel), but it’s certainly been around for a while. It’s generally assumed that the best of the best comes from Chadwick’s.
Locals queue up to buy it to take home, or enjoy it piping hot from the steamer. Condiments-wise, there’s a few to choose from – piccalilli, ketchup, vinegar – but the real devotees know that you’re supposed to go in for a generous drizzle of the homemade mustard. Tony’s personal favourite black pudding accompaniment? ‘Another black pudding’. Obviously.
If black pudding isn’t so much your thing, Chadwick’s is also one of the few places you can get your hands on tripe and cow heel. While these stodgy soup-thickeners are a speciality in Lancashire, Tony also tells us that they’re popular in Eastern European cooking too.
Just because black pudding is traditional, doesn’t mean Chadwick’s haven’t moved with the times. Tony has created his own festive version of the pudding, complete with seasonal spices and orange, which is honestly quite delicious. Astonishingly, given its predominant ingredient, they even do a vegan version.
You can only get Chadwick’s at Bury Market. We’d recommend making the pilgrimage.
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