Oats, salt and beef fat; what is there not to love. Skirlie is the more well-known oat based side dish in Scotland but mealy, although made with the same ingredients, is so different. It also goes by the name white pudding however depending on where you are this may be more a sausage and oatmeal mixture, not a true mealy. Traditionally the mixture is boiled like haggis in an animals innards, however, in the case of food hygiene plastic casings are now used.
This my adapted recipe for at home using a more acceptable sous-vide method. Using a plastic freezer bag that will not melt in boiling water and food storage clips. Trust me this works.
Serves: 5-6
Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Difficulty: Take your time
1 Medium onion
250g of oatmeal
125 of beef dripping or beef suet
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
1. In a frying pan gently toast the oatmeal with no oil for 1-2 mins. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
2. Finely dice the onion and add to the oatmeal. Add the suet, salt and pepper and mix well. If using dripping, add here making sure it is finely diced.
3. Bring a large pan of water to a simmer. Add all the ingredient to a large plastic ziplock or freezer bag. Mix well and seal. I use a freezer bag with two bag clips to ensure no water gets in. Ensure there is some air left in the bag.
4. Place in the simmering water for 1 and a half hours. Make sure the water does not run dry. Occasionally remove the bag and with a towel agitate the mixture to mix all the ingredients together.
5. Prepare a strip of cling film and spread the mealy pudding in a long line to your desired thickness. Cover with cling film and roll into a log. Place into the fridge to harden.
6. Remove the cling film when needed and use for making beef olives or reheat in a pan as a side. Alternatively, portion and store in the freezer until needed.
Recipes from my kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland 
Hey there Everything is very open with a clear clarification of the issues. It was truly informative. Your website is useful. many thanks
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An answer to my prayer. Love mealies and difficult to get in Ontario. Definitely will be making these. Thank you.
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The answer to my prayer. Love mealies. Definitely going to make these. Thank you.
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so thrilled to find this recipe, finding mealies in Ontario so very difficult and I have been eating them since I was a child (long time) I can’t wait to try this recipe. will any oatmeal do???
Elaine MacKenzie
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Hello, any oatmeal with do. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks
Peter
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I’ve been using this recipe for over a year now and it is fantastic. I make batches of about 4kg at a time and it freezes really well. I’ve just tried making a 1.9kg batch to adapt it for vegetarians. I used Trex instead of beef suet and it works. It’s not quite as nice as the original recipe, but it’s still tasty.
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Hi Peter – followed your recipe to the letter but the end result to me was more like skirlie – the fried version from Aberdeenshire and the NE, not the soft version that is sold in local chippers or my mother and grandmother made to go with poultry or mince. Not sure why? Nice flavour but gritty – I’d also use less salt. Thanks for the idea. Mike
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White pudding
Hi,
Last year a friend made me try real Scottish white pudding coming straight from Scotland and it was the best white pudding I had ever tried. The flavours were insanely good. I have been wanting some more ever since.so when I stumbled on your recipe I was all excited. After reading your recipe I was like this is well easy to make.So yesterday I bought all the ingredients you used, done everything you explained in your video. It all looked great. I rolled it and put it in the fridge. I was so excited about trying it but left it until lunchtime the next day. Got it out of the fridge and it felt and looked like the one I tried at my friend’s. I tried to slice it in half but it all fell apart. I was a bit annoyed because I know i packed it good. I still cooked it but the flavours and textures were not what I was expecting whatsoever. It’s still eatable but very different to what I tried before.
Thanks for sharing your recipe though I think I will have to try a few recipes before I find the one I tried. All the best
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