Ted and Robbie

It’s my mate Robbie’s birthday today ... well I say my mate Robbie, but I've never actually met him, possibly because he’s been dead for 219 years now.  Robbie or Rabbie as he was known, is Scotland’s favourite son and national poet … even after all this time. In fact in 2009 he was voted the greatest Scot by the Scottish public, and this in a nation stacked full of heroes and world changers. He wrote in both Scottish and English and thus his poems and songs (of which he composed many) reached worldwide audiences. His literary themes remained true to his roots and included all things Scottish - like for starters ... republicanism, nationalism, cultural identity, equality, sex, and whisky.

Every year the Scottish as a nation celebrate the birthday of Robbie Burns on 25 January. If you get invited to a “Burn’s night” it’s a big deal, with a lot of tradition surrounding the celebration meal. The star of the meal is haggis. It is ah erm … a collection of the offal bits of an animal mixed with oatmeal, onion and few other ingredients, then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach and simmered for a long time …

At the risk of some angry post from Scotland, I must say that there are other claims of origin to the haggis pre-dating the Scottish version, including that it actually came to Scotland in a Viking picnic basket. 

At a Burns dinner the haggis is carried in on a silver platter while a man in a kilt plays the bagpipes, the haggis is "piped in" to the room. Then the “Address to the Haggis” is enacted – all seven verses, and after that the haggis is cut open, and I imagine fragrant odours reflecting it’s ingredients fill the air. It’s traditionally served with “neeps” (swede/turnips) and “tatties” (mashed potatoes) and washed down with “the water of life” .. yep whisky. The Doll and I have decided that we won’t do haggis today, rather we will do just a couple of the moreish Scottish foodstuffs that we can all enjoy nowadays.

We’ll start the day with a Scottish staple, porridge (with brown sugar and loads of runny fresh cream) followed by a cup of tea with some nice shortbread in the shape of the famous “Scottie Dogs”. Later we’ll enjoy a little of the water of life, before we sing Auld Lang Syne … composed by you know who.