38 Scots Inspired Burns Night Supper Recipe Ideas (2024)

FAQs

What do Scots eat on Burns Night? ›

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!

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.

Burns Night itself marks the anniversary of Robert Burns' birth on 25 January 1759 and the traditional Burns supper is an evening event that celebrates his life and work. History can trace its origins back to nine of Burns' close friends who decided to get together to mark the fifth anniversary of their friend's death.

For Burns Night food, hearty, warming dishes made from traditionally Scottish ingredients are preferable. No traditional Burns Night menu is complete without haggis as the star of the show.

In 1971, it became illegal to import haggis into the US from the UK due to a ban on food containing sheep lung, which constitutes 10–15% of the traditional recipe. The ban encompasses all lungs, as fluids such as stomach acid and phlegm may enter the lung during slaughter.

Held annually on 25 January, Burns Night conjures up images of cosying up around a fire, enjoying traditional Scottish fare and devouring a deliciously warming whisky.

When attending a Burns supper, the most traditional option for ladies is a kilted skirt. Our kilted skirts look lovely paired with a blouse and accessorised with a tartan sash or brooch for a more traditional style. Tartan dresses can also be worn for a formal Burns Supper and look great with plain or tartan heels.

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.

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.

Burn is the Scottish word for a stream. Wee means small, so a small stream.

What is a burn in Scottish slang? ›

In local usage, a burn is a kind of watercourse. The term applies to a large stream or a small river. The word is used in Scotland and England (especially North East England) and in parts of Ulster, Kansas, Australia and New Zealand.

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.

Guests should normally stand to welcome the dinner's star attraction, which should be delivered on a silver platter by a procession comprising the chef, the piper and the person who will address the Haggis. A whisky-bearer should also arrive to ensure the toasts are well lubricated.

All the guests are then seated and grace is said, usually using the "Selkirk Grace", a well-known thanksgiving said before meals that uses the Scots language. Although attributed to Burns, the Selkirk Grace was already known in the 17th century as the "Galloway Grace" or the "Covenanters' Grace".

Scottish Christmas food

Soup, smoked salmon, pâté and haggis are common starters. For the main course, roast turkey tends to be the most popular dish. But you might also be able to choose from options such as glazed ham, roast beef or goose.

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.

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.

haggis, the national dish of Scotland, a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animal), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled.