Last night in bed for some reason I remembered having a big plate of champ with butter swimming on the plate and a slice of vegetable roll. WHAT was vegetable roll? Had it any vegetables in it? I always thought it was gorgeous. I wonder if it's still sold and if they can still call it vegetable roll when it clearly had some kind of meat in it!

Hilary,

Yes, vegetable roll did have vegetables in it. I made loads of it when I worked in my Dad's butchers shop in Sloan Street. It was regular beef sausage meat with some chopped onions and leaks added and sometimes tomatoes as well, I think that you can still get it at regular butchers shops at home. I loved it fried in a good old ulster fry or with cabbage and spuds.

Champ was usually served with corned beef so I think your dream was a bit skew whiff. Hope that helps.

Richard

Hi All

I am sure my mother never served champ with corned beef, I think Hilary is right, we got veg roll with champ. It had this paper stuff around it,you had to peel off in the middle of your dinner. Richard, I remember playing down the Hollows, when I used to venture into the back of what would have been Billy Mcconnell's butcher shop in Bridge Street. We used to have fun knocking the teeth out of the skeleton animal's heads with stones. Now tell me this, since there were horses heads there, could it have been the butchers used horses meat in the shop?

Liz

My mother used to buy vegetable roll from Green's Butcher shop at the bottom of Bow Street. It was always my favourite thing to eat. I think it was a mixture of meat and some veg. and onion.

[Hi Liz . Hilary

Jim's forum is the bee's knee's . When i click on it gives me a buzz, you never know the topic's on line . Re -- Garding champ , i only ever had it with country butter , a large dollop planted in the volcano hole in the centre. My wife who hails from Belfast , like's her champ with milk around the outside , and butter in the centre. Sometimes if you used large Scallions , it could be a bit repeatable afterword's , if you know what i mean. And a large glass of milk to wash it down . Horses head's were used in the early day's for making sausages and pies and rissoles, the butcher's scraped the head's of any meat , and added spices , also meal . Another roll most popular was Black pudding , and white puddimg , And finally Haggis , Ulster , Scottish , lovely . Boy my belly is starting to rumble. Best Wishes Tommy

For me it was Champ and Vegetable roll, it was all we could afford, but we all enjoyed it. My son who was only five years old when we came to Canada is dissapointed I can't bring it back for him, he was only home once and he loved the "Roll".

Beano

After being in Ozland for almost 40 years we still love Champ. Our children would always ask for it when they were young. I would ask if they wanted their spuds whole or mashed and the reply was "Champ"