The Perfect Burns' Night Supper
'Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit’
The 25th January 2025 marks the 265th anniversary of the birth of the Scottish cultural icon, Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns.
To our Scottish relatives, Burns' night is an annual highlight, being more widely celebrated than Scotland’s national day, St Andrew’s Day.
It’s also acknowledged and enjoyed in many other countries throughout the world, both in formal and informal settings. The usual format of a traditional Burns' Night Supper involves the guests being greeted by a bagpiper, who pipes in the guests as they arrive to the venue. The host will then deliver some welcoming words to the guests, before they are then seated. The ‘Selkirk Grace’ is delivered which was said to have been delivered by Burns at a dinner held by the 4th Earl of Selkirk.
The starter is almost always a Scottish soup, which can be Scotch Broth, Cullen Skink or Cock-a-Leekie.
It’s then time for the main dish, which is of course the famous Scottish Haggis. Accompanied by more bagpiping, the Haggis makes its way from the kitchen on a large dish and is laid down by the cook at the host’s table, before the host recites the famous Burns poem ‘Address to a Haggis.’
Following the address, a whisky toast is proposed to the Haggis, before being eagerly devoured by the guests with the famous ‘neeps and tatties’ accompaniments.
Further toasts, speeches and songs continue into the evening, before usually ending with the guests joining hands to sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ to finish off the evening.
The good news is that you don’t have to be Scottish to enjoy a delicious Burns' night meal. And you can also create a superb Burns' night supper at home. In fact, to make it even easier for you to enjoy the famous flavours of Burns' night, we’ve created a very special Burns' night ‘Chicken Balmoral’ pie. It’s a delicious combination of the finest Scottish Haggis, Herb-fed free range chicken and a very special whisky from our friends at Filey Bay whisky.
It’s the perfect combination of Scottish tradition and Yorkshire produce, which will go perfectly with homemade ‘neeps and tatties.’
There’s no excuse not to join in with the Burns' night festivities this year, so get your Haggis, neeps and tatties prepared, or for something different, place your order and get your Chicken Balmoral pies delivered straight to your door.
Happy Burns' Night!