People's responses to blood sausage are polarised. There are those who are turned off by the idea of a sausage made from pig's blood. And there are those who embrace it with enthusiasm.

Around the world, from South Korea to Italy, blood sausage is a prized food in multiple cuisines. In Spain and Latin America it's called morcilla and is a common feature of many dishes. It's known as black pudding in the UK and Ireland, where it is usually served with the classic bacon-and-egg breakfast, and boudin noir in France, where it comes as a dish by itself, with apple compôte and cream. France – which gets through 15,000 tonnes a year of boudin noir – even has a prestigious annual competition in Normandy, hosted by La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte Boudin (translation: the Knights of the Black Pudding).

Black pudding is traditional and artisanal, but it's also capable of being convenient and connected to consumers health motivations. The way forward has been shown by The Bury Black Pudding Company, a 100-year-old business based in the north of England and one of the leaders in the UK market.

Over the summer the brand dialled up its intrinsic advantages, flagging up the protein content, iron and low-fat credentials. No new recipe was needed – these are just the innate benefits of the black pudding, which comes in a convenient pack of four 110g slices. The brand combines provenance, heritage, real ingredients and now health:

"For over 50 years, we’ve been making the healthiest black pudding, crafted to a traditional recipe dating back more than 100 years. Every pudding is made using the finest quality ingredients, creating a product that is low in fat, high in protein and rich in iron. A true taste of Northern heritage loved not only nationwide, but around the world.

"Our new look marks the next chapter in our journey, while preserving everything that makes our black pudding so special. The same great recipe. The same great taste."

If this sounds a bit left field for some of you, remember that "traditional food reinvented" is consistently one of the most successful strategies in the food business. Greek yoghurt, skyr, kefir, cottage cheese, meat snacks, kombucha - all of these success stories came from helping consumers discover something that's traditional that lines up with their health motivations. Blood sausage isn't going to be as big as kefir, but it has found a way to stay relevant and, who knows, may yet become a growth story.