Burns Night recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the traditional Burns Night menu? ›

Serve up a Scottish supper to remember with a classic smoked fish soup and the essential haggis, neeps and tatties - all rounded off with a traditional clootie dumpling. Delicious!

While there is no formal greeting for Burns Night, people generally say “Sláinte Mhath” to one another. This is pronounced “slanj'-uh va” and translates as “Good Health!”. You can also say “Oidhche Bhlas Burns”, which means “Happy Burns Night”. These could be fun messages to include in your designs.

Haggis, Neeps And Tatties

If following the standard running order of Burns Night, a haggis will be ceremoniously brought to the dining table before being addressed in a poem and cut open with a knife. Haggis is a savoury pudding consisting of sheep's pluck, minced onion, oats, spices, and stock.

To start – everyone gathers, the host says a few words, everyone sits and the Selkirk Grace is said. The meal – the starter is served, the haggis is piped in, the host performs the famous Burns Night haggis poem Address to a Haggis, everyone toasts the haggis and the main meal is served, followed by dessert.

Cranachan. A classic Scottish dessert, cranachan is a beautiful medley of double cream, toasted oats, raspberries, honey and a great big slosh of whisky. It's the perfect ending to a Burns Night feast.

A cooked haggis Haggis, neeps and tatties on a plate. At the end of the poem, a whisky toast will be proposed to the haggis, and the company will sit down to the meal. The haggis is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed swede turnip (neeps).

Traditionally guests of a formal Burns Supper would wear Scottish Highland Dress, but these days anything goes. To save on buying new, kilts can be rented. Or, for a more affordable option, check out what's being sold on sites like Vinted or Facebook Marketplace as you can often find barely worn options.

Whisky may be the traditional tipple of Scotland, but the local botanicals in The Botanist's brilliant gin make it our top choice for a wilder drink this Burns Night. Meanwhile, classics such as Drambuie are likely to hit the spot, while ciders and pale ales provide something a little more sessionable.

Many celebrating Burns Night look to embrace the Scottish Gaelic. People traditionally greet each other with the phrase "Sláinte Mhath!" which translates to "Good Health!" - it's pronounced "slanj'-uh va'". If you want to directly translate the words "Happy Burns Night" you could try "Oidhche Bhlas Burns".

Well, “neeps” is just the Scots word for swede – that hard winter vegetable that people also use in soups and stews. You might also hear Scottish people saying “nips”, which is much more obviously short for “turnips”. It's a hard job to peel and chop the neeps, and then we boil and mash, then add a bit of seasoning.

What does haggis taste like? ›

What does haggis taste like? Haggis is like a crumbly sausage, with a coarse oaty texture and a warming peppery flavour. It's most commonly served with neeps (mashed turnip) and tatties (mashed potato) and washed down with a wee dram of your favourite whisky.

A traditional haggis recipe describes haggis as "sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and boiled".

Our traditional cullen skink recipe (a Scottish fish-based soup) is a great way to kick things off. You simply can't celebrate Burns Night without the classic haggis, 'neeps and tatties', aka mashed potatoes and swede. A rich whisky sauce is an ideal accompaniment to this flavourful dish too.

After the meal, the speeches and entertainment begin in earnest, starting with a toast to the monarch, known as the Loyal Toast. This is followed by the main toast of the night, to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns. The Immortal Memory should be a heartfelt toast to his life and works.

Whisky. Of course, scotch whisky should be on the menu for Burns Night. Haggis pairs well with whisky, therefore a dram could also be served during dinner and not just as an after-dinner drink. Heavily sherried and full-bodied whiskies are great with meats such as venison or steak, as well as a range of root vegetables ...

Speaking of drinks, it wouldn't be a proper Scottish celebration or Burns Night without the mention of whisky. A staple part of Scottish culture, having a glass or two of whisky to celebrate is a must.

Burns Night is a time to enjoy Scottish traditions and celebrate the renowned poet Robert Burns with a classic combination of haggis, neeps, tatties, some reciting of poetry, and maybe even a warming dram.

Highland Dress is traditionally worn by men at formal Burns suppers. Traditional highland wear for men consists of a plaid kilt with a sporran, a dress shirt with a bow tie or tie, a Prince Charlie jacket, and brogues with kilt socks and sgian dubh.