Every year on Burns Night people all over the world celebrate the life and poetry of perhaps the greatest ever Scottish poet.
Held on January 25, Burns Night honours the birthday of national bard Robert Burns with haggis, whisky, poetry and renditions of Auld Lang Syne.
But the evening is probably most famous for the Burns Supper, a meal which is made up of some of the most famous Scottish foods. Plus it's the perfect way to get the party started, in true Scottish style.
What's on a traditional Burns Night menu?
Nothing says Burns Night supper more than haggis, tatties and neeps. For us Southern folks, this translates as meaty sausage served with creamy mashed turnips and potatoes. Love it or hate it, these foods are the heart of the meal.
Begin with a warming starter, such as scotch broth, cock-a-leekie or a cullen skink (smoked haddock soup).
For pudding, serve up a cranachan, which is a traditional Scottish dessert made with cream, seasonal fruit, toasted oatmeal and whisky. Or for the more adventurous, try out a tipsy laird, which is a whisky-based trifle.
Round the evening off with a cheeseboard served with oatcakes and (even more) whisky.
What is haggis?
Haggis is a type of ancient sausage made from sheep's pluck - the animal's heart, liver and lungs.
The pluck is then minced with onion, oatmeal, suet (raw beef or lamb fat), spices and salt before being mixed with stock.
This mixture is put in a sheep's stomach and cooked - and it's decepitively delicious.
Read our guide on how to cook the perfect haggis here.
Where to get haggis
You can buy haggis from traditional Scottish butchers or online. With a wide range of haggis available, from vegetarian to venison, there's something to suit everyone's taste.
How to serve haggis
Haggis can be baked or boiled for various lengths of time ranging from one to two hours, depending on the size.
For that extra kick, serve with a rich whisky sauce. Heat double cream in a pan and add a splash of whisky, then simmer.
What are neeps and tatties?
Neeps are another word for either turnips or swede and tatties are potatoes. Both are mashed and eaten with the haggis for the mains.
Mash the turnips and potatoes into a smooth purée, which beautifully compliments the rough texture of the oaty haggis. Finish with a sprinkle of seasoning and a generous knob of butter.
Why do the Scottish eat haggis for Burns supper?
After Robert "Rabbie" Burns died in 1796, his friends organised a Burns Supper to remember him by.
During this first ever supper, they recited Burns' famous eight-verse ode to the haggis, called Address to a Haggis.
The poem immortalised haggis as the "great chieftan of the sausage race", and cemented its reputation as a great Scottish food.
After reading the poem the group then sat down to a meal of haggis, tatties and neeps, thereby creating the custom still known to this day.
