Less than a month after celebrating the New Year at Hogmanay, the Scots turn their attention to their great poet Robert ‘Robbie’ Burns. His day (or rather night) is celebrated by many with a food and drink-based ceremony, the centrepeice of which is the Haggis, about which Burns wrote a poem. (Wordsworth wrote about daffodils, but you don’t get us sassanachs getting that excited about them).

Anyway, on the principle of ‘any excuse for a party’, many of us dig deep into our ancestry to validate our sudden enthusiasm for all things Scottish. For many, this mostly involve whisky, whilst being more selective about other aspects such as porridge, bagpipe music or the haggis itself.

Done properly, the Burns meal can be quite a performance involving welcoming the haggis to the table with applause and a bagpipe accompaniment. It is then ‘addressed’ with the Burns poem, during which, at the line ‘ His knife see rustic Labour digit’, the speaker/host stabs and splits open the pudding (Trenching your gushing entrails bright’ so it can be served to the guests.’wi bashit neeps and champit tatties’ (swedes and potatoes). The dessert course is either Clootie Dumpling (a pudding cooked in a linen cloth) or Tipsy Laird (a Scottish version of a sherry trifle). Bannocks (oatcakes) and cheese are also available. Then there are the whiskies (other Scottish spirits, such as Drambuie, are available).

Many pubs and restaurants use Burns Night either to show off their culinary skills  or as a special apromotional/ttraction/fundraiser, so why not don some Scottish or tartan wear and indulge in kilty pleasures?

 

NB. We have very limited stocks of Scots-wear, almost all of which is already spoken for!