You don't have to be Scottish to celebrate Burns Night on 25 January, and this year it is a celebration worth toasting for it will mark 250 years to the day since Scotland's national poet was born. Robert Burns' evocative poetry about the joy of being alive in a world of darkness is the inspiration for this truly British feast.  Burns Night is a ritual that was started a few years after the poet's death by a group of his friends, as a tribute to his memory.  The basic format for the evening has remained unchanged since then, with the tradition of reciting Burns' poetry, eating haggis, neeps (swede) and tatties (potatoes) and drinking whisky.  Whisky aside, the simple Burns Night supper is, in fact, the ultimate credit crunch celebration.  British supermarkets are reporting a surge in the popularity of haggis and at around £1.50 a serving it is not hard to see why.

The meal usually commences with a starter of cock-a-leekie soup, made with chicken and leek, and if you are using a traditional Scottish recipe, prunes.  There are alternatives and Cullen Skink (a broth of mild and smoked fish) or smoked salmon or crab make fine substitutes.  The 'bill o'fare' (main meal) is, of course, the haggis, which Burns described as the 'Great chieftain o' the puddin'-race'. You can buy haggis ready made from a local butcher or large supermarket or with a days worth of preparation you could make your own. Made from offal, suet, spices and oatmeal that was traditionally sewn into a sheep's stomach (though nowadays wrapped in natural sausage skins or artificial casing) haggis is customarily eaten with mashed swede and potatoes.  A simple beef stock gravy adds moisture.  Some may find this fare quite dense and instead you could serve all three - haggis, neeps and tatties - as a side dish to a fillet of venison or a lamb shank. Or have it as a starter with beef or game as the main course.  Another variation is to mix the mashed swede and potato together, cover with grated cheese and bake in the oven.  This is known as Orkney clapshot and is often served with haggis.

The ultimate Burns Night pudding is a whisky-based desert called cranachan made from oats, cream, sugar and whisky or Typsy Laird (a sherry trifle).

For ideas on how to organise the perfect Burns Night Supper see [this link]

For more information on the haggis and how to cook it see [this link]