Why not cook up a traditional haggis for a belated Burns night celebration?

Robert Burns was born January 25, 1759, in Ayr so why not celebrate his birthday with a haggis dinner?
Burns loved poetry so much that even one of his shopping lists would be written in verse if he so chose. He immortalised the haggis in verse and the ritual surrounding this Scottish dish are inextricably linked to him to this day.
The ritual was started by close friends a few years after Burns’s death and remains unchanged with speeches, knifing the haggis at a certain point‚ poems and of course plenty of ale and whisky flowing throughout the evening.
One year, I was staying in a lovely old hotel in English Harbour, Antigua where a haggis was flown out to us. We had a Burns night for about 150 people with bagpipes, readings, and lots of rum in true Caribbean style.
And as more haggis are consumed in England than in Scotland it seems this is now a truly international phenomenon.
I am not going to ask you to make your own haggis because with words like, sheep’s stomach, ox secum, scald, turned inside-out, soak over night, heart and lungs of a lamb, I feel this will put you off.
I will tell you that a haggis is made of meat‚ onion, oatmeal, coriander, mace and nutmeg just so that you know what you are eating but you can buy a haggis at any good supermarket or butcher but I always buy mine from MacSweens in Edinburgh. We always serve haggis in our shop on Burns Night and I am amazed how popular it is.
Many people joke about the ingredients but the truth is that it tastes delicious and with a little whisky poured on the top it proves to be a great winter warming dish. The following recipes are how to serve the traditional Haggis.
Buy the Haggis and follow the cooking instructions on the packaging but if you are boiling it I recommend that you wrap it well in foil as well as the skin it comes in, and simmer it on a very low heat just to make sure it does not burst.
When you serve the haggis, cut it open and spoon the mixture onto each serving plate.
Add the mashed neeps and tatties‚ and then pour a little whisky over each portion of haggis and serve.

MASHED NEEPS
Serves 4
Ingredients
One swede, peeled and roughly chopped into one inch cubes.
One teaspoon sugar.
50g/2oz butter.
A little milk or double cream.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method
Cook the swede in boiling salted water and sugar for about 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and then mash well with the butter, milk and seasoning.

MASHED TATTIES
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g/1lb mashing potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly.
One onion, peeled and chopped roughly.
50g/2oz butter.
Little milk or cream.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method
Cook the potatoes and onion in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes or until soft and then drain. Preferably in the mixing bowl put the potato mix along with the butter and then beat with a whisk until smooth.
Gradually add the milk being careful it does not splash and beat well until light and fluffy. Season and then serve.

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www.clareskitchen.co.uk