Nolans score again with sausages, puddings

Local master butchers Nolans have added more trophies to their cabinet after winning three gold medals with their sausage, and black and white puddings in the 2009 Craftbutchers Sausage & Pudding competition. Nolans only narrowly missed being the overall national winners.

The business had previously won seven gold medals in the Eastern Regional Finals held in Portlaoise, from there winning through to the finals with the three products.

"The finals were very close," says James Nolan, the fourth generation of the family to carry on the business in Kilcullen. "The white pudding was beaten by 0.5 of a mark, the black by 0.75 of a mark, and the sausage by just a little bit more."

It was a remarkable achievement for what is generally acknowledged to be consistency and quality in the Nolans products, which are made to the original recipe developed many years ago by James's father Andy, who still works in the shop most days even though he is approaching 80 years of age.

"While we are disappointed not to have won the full All-Ireland title this year, nevertheless it was a fantastic achievement to be runner-up in the three categories we entered," says James, who is also the founder of the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund which helps those with kidney-related illness. "And believe me, notwithstanding his age, Dad is as passionate about his sausages and puddings as ever. A lot of credit too to Fred Mitchell, who spends most of his working time on these producs, making sure the quality is consistent."

The sausages and puddings are only available in the Kilcullen shop, and are one of the key reasons why people from all over the country make detours while they are passing through Kildare to stock up."

The same shop, which won a major award last year in the FBD Retail Excellence Awards, has this year been nominated into the final six for the Best Large Retail Store in Ireland, which will be announced on 9 November.

Brian Byrne.