In Scotland, January 25th is a national holiday that celebrates the birthday of the great romantic, Robert Burns, in 1759. On Burns Night, family and friends gather for an evening of good food and company—much like our Thanksgiving. A traditional Burns’ Supper is served.
Put on your best tartan, get out the bagpipe and plan your own Burns Night by gathering your tartan clad friends for a night of Scottish food and drink.
Read some of Burns’ most popular poems: A Red, Red Rose; To a Louse; To a Mouse; Tam O’Shanter, Ae Fond Kiss and perhaps most appropriate to the occasion, Address to a Haggis. My personal favorite – Bonnie Lesley
O SAW ye bonnie Lesley
As she gaed o’er the Border?
She’s gane, like Alexander,
To spread her conquests farther.
And, on and on…..
It’s not easy to make haggis (see attractive photo on left), a delicacy that’s a tasty mixture of sheep’s offal, boiled, minced and mixed with beef suet and toasted oatmeal that’s boiled inside the sheep’s stomach, so you can order a Haggis online! Most of your guests have to be well into the scotch before tasting…
For starters, serve Scottish salmon and/or smoked haddock (called Arbroath smokie, after the east coast fishing town of Arbroath).
As a main, make Scotch pies—individual pot pies traditionally filled with mutton, but now generally made with beef (beef pies are available from Twin Hens). Beef, lamb and almost any seafood—crab, lobster, mussels, scallops or shrimp, for example—will also do nicely. Or, send one of your guests out to shoot a grouse or pheasant.
For veggies, make colcannon, a dish of boiled cabbage, carrots, turnip and potatoes; drain and stew for about 20 minutes in a pan with butter, salt and pepper.
Stovied tatties are a potato-based dish, designed to use leftover meat and vegetables. Diced onions are cooked in beef fat along with leftover beef and vegetables (typically carrots and peas). Water is added to the pan, and then diced potatoes are added and simmered until soft.
What’s for dessert? Black bun is a dark, rich fruitcake, chock-full of currants, raisins, finely-chopped orange peel and chopped almonds, spiced with cinnamon and ginger. You can always use the leftovers as a doorstop. Or, serve shortbread and tea—always a crowd pleaser.
An easier celebration might be to invite everyone for a Scotch tasting.
And following on, January 26th is Australia Day – a day for the beach, barbecues and fireworks.
I definitely would opt for the Scotch tasting. I’ve done that before, although I, of course, drank white wine instead. Nonetheless, more power always to the celebration of poetry. So, go Robert Burns!