ROSSENDALE'S very own 'Knight of the Black Pudding' has set his sights on conquering the nation's tastebuds.

Andrew Holt's black puddings can already be found among the gourmet food at posh London store Fortnum & Mason and top chefs are now discovering the delights of the Lancashire delicacy.

As the boss of The Real Black Pudding Company, Andrew is steadily winning converts in the South of England.

An appearance on Rick Stein's BBC TV 'Food Heroes' programme has also helped put the humble black pudding on the culinary map.

"There is no doubt that the black pudding is increasing in popularity in the South, particularly in London," said Andrew. "We want to bring a taste of the North to all those poor people down there who have missed out on its unique appeal."

A new packaging and distribution centre has just opened in Stacksteads - called Pudsville II - which will enable the company to double production at its original site in Waterfoot.

It currently makes up to three tons of black puddings a week and Andrew has set himself a weekly production target of five tons.

"In the past, there was a bottleneck at the packaging and distribution end of things," said Andrew. "The new unit at Stacksteads gives us the space at Waterfoot to make more black puddings and allows us to streamline our packaging which is vital for going in to new markets."

Andrew, a butcher by trade, entered the world of black puddings just 10 years ago when he bought the business of RS Ireland. He had made them during his time as a butcher's apprentice, but decided to learn the noble art from a master, Richard Sanderson Ireland, who had sold him the company along with a secret recipe dating back to 1879.

For the uninitiated, black puddings are made from fresh pigs' blood, pork fat, pearl barley, onion, rusk, oatmeal, flour and a blend of herbs and spices.

"Black puddings are a totally natural food," insisted Andrew, who regularly proves the point by drinking a bottle of blood when he talks to women's groups about the delicacy.

Andrew has become something of a legend in the industry - both in the UK and throughout Europe. He has won a total of 91 awards, including Best Black Pudding in Britain, and has collected numerous prizes in France, Belgium, Austria and Holland.

His biggest honour was being made a Chevalier du Goute-Boudin - Knight of the Black Pudding - at a competition in Normandy.

Andrew puts his success down to concentrating on the quality side of the market and believes he is the only maker to use fresh blood.

As well as his traditional outlets, which include market stalls throughout the North West, he supplies many of the region's leading restaurants such as Heathcote Manor, Sharrow Bay Hotel, La Belle Epoque and Nutter's.

He is now supplying the Preston-based Booths supermarket chain, but is wary about aiming too high.

"We don't want to expand too much," explained Andrew. "We want to keep it small and keep our integrity. Our products are made to customer specifications and can be tailored to suit everyone. That is what makes us special."

Traditional 'Bury' black puddings still make up over half of the production with the remainder going to sticks, chubs, rings and white puddings made to an Irish recipe.

A newcomer to the menu is the 'baby', a two-ounce version of the Bury black pudding. "Small puddings are going to a lot of restaurants and are used as a starter," he said. "You just warm them through, cut them in half and serve them with salad. They are proving very popular."

An independent wholesaler handles mail-order sales and there have been reports of puddings being sent out to America, Australia and New Zealand.

As an 'ambassador' for the black pudding, Andrew welcomes inquiries from anywhere - except Stubbins!

"They have a black pudding-throwing competition there every year and they had the cheek to ask me for some supplies." he added. "Our black puddings are made strictly for eating."