While Burns Night is not a national holiday in Scotland, it is arguably celebrated much more than St Andrew’s Day, the official one. Burns Night (25th January) marks poet Robert Burns’ birthday and throughout the world, a traditional Burns supper is held to remember him and his work.
It all started on the 21st July 1801, on the fifth anniversary of his death where his close friends formed the ‘Burns Club’. They didn’t know it at the time, but this was the first Burns supper where they recited ‘Address to a Haggis’, delivered his poems and sang his songs. The night was such a huge success they decided to hold it again but on his birthday, beginning the tradition we still enjoy to this day.
Generally speaking, the popular starter dish is Scotch Broth followed by Haggis, Neeps & Tatties (optional to have a ‘whisky cream’ sauce with this) and then Cranachan to finish. We are here to inspire you with simple recipes for these dishes so you can host your own supper. We have also added a Shortbread recipe if you wish to bake for friends, family or bring to work for colleagues!
Scotch Broth
Ingredients:
Carrots, diced (250g)
Turnips, diced (250g)
Onions (2 x diced)
Celery Stalk (1 x diced)
Leek (1 x sliced)
Pearl Barley (125g)
Peas (125g)
Salt and Pepper
Lamb/Mutton stock (4 pints)
Kale (85g)
Method:
Heat all of the ingredients, except the kale, in a large saucepan until boiling.
Reduce the heat and simmer gently for a 2-3 hours until the peas and pearl barley are soft.
Stir in the kale and cook for a further 10-12 minutes, or until the kale is tender. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Haggis Neeps & Tatties
Ingredients:
Haggis (800g)
Potatoes (800g)
Swede (800g)
Milk
Butter
For the whiskey cream sauce:
Shallots (4 x finely chopped)
Double cream (300ml)
Whisky (100ml)
butter (1 x knob)
Method:
Cook the haggis as per the manufacturer’s guidelines. Remove the outer packaging, wrap the haggis in foil and place in a dish of water in the oven.
Peel and dice the potatoes and swede and cook separately until both are soft. Mash the potatoes with milk, butter and seasoning. Do the same with the swede but without the milk.
For the whisky sauce, start by softening the shallots in the butter in a large saucepan. Add the whisky and turn up the heat to burn off the alcohol, this won’t take long and will avoid any bitterness. Reduce the heat and stir in the cream. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes.
Serve the haggis on a plate alongside the side dishes and have the whisky sauce on the side, to give people the option of pouring over their plate!
Cranachan
Ingredients:
Oatmeal (2 tbsp)
Raspberries (300g)
Caster Sugar (2 tbsp)
Double Cream (350ml)
Honey (2 tbsp)
Whisky (2-3 tbsp)
Method:
Start by toasting the Oatmeal, spread it out on a baking sheet and grill it. Leave to cool.
For the raspberry puree, crush the fruit and sieve it, add a little of the caster sugar, leave aside.
In a bowl, whisk the double cream until just set, stir the honey and whiskey.
Add the oatmeal into mixture and whisk slightly. In a glass, alternate layers of the cream with the remaining raspberries. Allow to chill slightly before eating and enjoy!
Shortbread
Ingredients:
Unsalted butter (125g)
Caster sugar (55g)
Plain flour (180g)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan. Beat the butter and the sugar together until smooth. Stir in the flour to get a smooth paste. Turn on to a work surface and gently roll out until the paste is 1cm thick.
Cut into triangles and place onto a circular baking tray. Sprinkle with caster sugar and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.
