Whatever its nutritional value, offal, or organ meats, can be a divisive food in many households.
Now, help is at hand for frustrated offal eaters, with plans by Mosgiel Station Cafe & Function Centre owner and chef Blackie Catlow to launch an ''Insiders Club''.
The first regular club night is planned for May 27, where people will be offered a selection of organ meat favourites, including tripe and onions, lamb's fry and bacon, kidneys, baked stuffed lamb's heart, ox and lamb's tongue, sweetbreads, and black and white pudding.
''Basically, we'll be working with just about everything from inside the animal,'' Mr Catlow said.
Until a few years ago, Dunedin had a popular tripe and onions club, which regularly attracted about 200 people to its gatherings. Since its demise, Dunedin fans of offal had had limited options to enjoy their favourite foods, Mr Catlow said.
''I cook it here at the Mosgiel Station for members of some of the service clubs - a lot of people love it,'' he said.
''People often ask me for it.''
However, the pungent smell of offal cooking tended to make it unpopular in many households, he said.
''The smell isn't a problem here, we can just put the extractor fan on.
''And I don't mind cooking it, because I like it myself,'' he said.
For a time, sourcing organ meats had been difficult, with huge demand from France for kidneys, hearts and other meats driving up the price as high as $50 per kilogram, Mr Catlow said.
''Now that France is in a bit of difficulty financially, there have been a lot of cancelled orders, and it has come back on the market,'' he said.
People who are interested in being part of the Insiders Club are asked to register in advance with the Mosgiel Station Cafe & Function Centre, phone 489-4456.
