Butchers brace for black pudding sales spike after it is awarded 'superfood' status

London's butchers are expecting sales of black pudding to soar after it was named an unlikely 'superfood'.

The blood sausage was named among the top foods to eat in 2016, thanks to its high levels of protein and low carb count.

Black pudding is also rich in iron and zinc – two minerals that modern diets often lack.

Michael Gale, from Kensington-based C Lidgate butchers in Holland Park Avenue, said he was expecting a surge in sales - at least in the short-term.

He told the Standard butchers were expecting an "upturn in trade for a few weeks."

"It does sell quite well, but it's not once of our biggest sellers," he said.

"We do do quite a bit of black pudding, we have an Irish black pudding that does very well."

Mr Gale said he hoped the news would encourage more people to try black pudding, which he said is a "quite underrated delicacy."

He told the Standard: "I hope so, because of what it's made of a lot of people are put off, but it's no different to any other cut of meat, you're still consuming part of an animal.

"It's similar to haggis, people don't try it because they don't like the idea of it, but once they try it they find it quite enjoyable and come back for more."