It´s the 25th of January, which means it is Burns Night in Scotland! So today I am sharing with you my recipe for my Burns Night Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pie – a hearty family dish perfect for the celebration (apologies for the oddly blue photos, haha)!
A lot of you who read this will probably be thinking “Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pie? What on earth is that? And who is this guy called Burns?”. Well, let me treat you to a bit of good-old Scottish history and tradition – as well as a yummy recipe for a Burns Night celebration!
Robert Burns – Scotland´s most Famous Poet
In Scotland, we celebrate our most well-known poet Robert Burns (aka. Rabbie Burns) on his birthday, the 25th of January. Robert Burns was originally from the West coast of Scotland (Ayrshire) and he wrote poems and composed songs in the Scots and English language. Some of his most famous poems include “Tam o´Shanter” and “A red, red rose”, but he´s probably most known for writing the song “Auld Lang Syne”. It´s sung all around the world on New Year´s Eve (or Hogmanay as we call in it Scotland) and many people don´t know it was Robert Burns who wrote it (some even think it´s an American song (because they sing it on New Year´s Eve) but it is NOT, haha!
Burns Night Traditions
Under normal, non-pandemic conditions, there are a lot of Burns night celebrations held across the country on the 25th of January. Often, these events consist of a dinner and a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee), a traditional Scottish dance – and extremely fun but exhausting!
The dinner, or “Burns Supper” traditionally consists of what is said to have been Robert Burns´ favourite food: Haggis, neeps (Turnip) and tatties (potatoes). Haggis is a traditional food of Scotland, made from sheep´s heart, liver and lungs, as well as oatmeal and plenty of seasoning and spices. Despite the slightly unappealing sound and look of it, haggis tastes absolutely DELICIOUS, think of it as a crumbly sausage meet with a peppery flavour! I love it! The haggis is so central to a Burns supper, it even receives a special toast at the beginning of the meal referred to as “Addressing the Haggis”. It is classically served with mashed turnip (“neeps”) and mashed potatoes, or tatties as we like to call them here.
You might wish to wash down your meal with a wee dram of Scottish Whisky and then finish on a high with dessert. A typical Scottish dessert you might find served is “Cranachan”, which is basically just whisky-flavoured whipped cream served with oats and raspberries – again, absolutely divine.
Why not have your own Burns Night Celebration?
Come on, we´re in lockdown 3.0, so why not try and have your own Burns Night Celebration at home? Could be fun! The VisitScotland website has some fun “instructions” for hosting your own Burns supper, outlining some of the traditions I have mentioned previously and what songs and/or poems are sung/read when.
Plus, it´s give you the perfect excuse to have a bit of a feast and try my Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pie recipe below. If you cannot buy haggis where you are or don´t fancy the sound of it, why not try this Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie instead? It´s one of my all-time favourite recipes and would also be great for the occasion! While I don´t have a recipe for Cranachan on my blog, you can easily find one on the web. Or try some of my other dessert recipes fit for a celebration, such as my festive Chocolate Pavlova with Bailey´s Irish Cream, Meringue Roulade with Strawberries and Cream, or this Classic British Trifle?
Happy Burns Night everyone!
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pie | Burns Night in Scotland
Recipe
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 450g haggis (I prefer to use Macsween´s)
- 500g turnip, peeled
- 500g potatoes, peeled
- 30g butter
- A little milk
- Salt, black pepper
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 80g cheddar cheese, grated
- Green veg, to serve (e.g. broccoli, beans, peas, etc.)
Method:
- Peel the turnip and potato and cut into small cubes (about 1x1cm for faster cooking). Bring to large pots of water to the boil and salt the water.
- Cook the turnip and potato separately in each one of the pots for about 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain through a colander, transfer them back to their pots and leave to steam-dry.
- In the meantime, quickly fry off the haggis in a large frying pan for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the haggis to a medium-sized, oven-proof dish and push down with the back of a spoon to create an even layer.
- Mash both the cooked turnip and potato with a little butter and milk until fairly smooth. Season both mashes with salt and black pepper. I also like adding a little ground nutmeg to my turnip mash, but that is optional.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Spoon the turnip mash over the haggis and spread out to create an even layer. Then repeat the same with the mashed potato. Finally, sprinkle over the grated cheese.
- Bake the pie in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes until piping hot throughout and the cheese has melted.
- Serve immediately with some green vegetables, such as broccoli, beans or peas.
