Must-try: black pudding to die for at The Grove

By Emily Landau | Photograph by Emma McIntyre

In a city of diners determined to devour every last entrail, it’s no surprise that blood has made its way onto menus. At The Grove, a refined British pub on Dundas West, chef Ben Heaton turns it into sausage—or black pudding, as the English politely call it. His recipe is traditional: blood (he buys it by the bucket from butchers after they’ve broken down their noble pigs), pork fat, oats to thicken the mixture, mace, allspice and cloves for zing. His presentation, however, is completely modern: he fries the links in olive oil and crumbles them over freshly shucked peas, radish curls and a custard-thick sous-vide duck egg. He finishes the plate with a refreshing lemon-butter foam. The star ingredient crackles as it hits the palate, then melts into buttery richness with just the slightest metallic tang. It’s an ultra-light rendition of the rib-sticking English breakfast staple. Bloody brilliant. $10. 1214 Dundas St. W., 416-588-2299.