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.

Traditionally, Burns Suppers are held on or around Robert Burns's birthday – 25 January – but they can be held at any time of year. They celebrate good fellowship and the works of our national poet, Robert Burns.

Speaking of drinks, it wouldn't be a proper Scottish celebration or Burns Night without the mention of whisky. A staple part of Scottish culture, having a glass or two of whisky to celebrate is a must.

Legality. 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.

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.

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.

Main course: Haggis, neeps and tatties

Love it or loathe it, haggis is the dish at the heart of Burns Night. Try this simple recipe for haggis, neeps and tatties and follow our guide to buying and cooking the perfect haggis.

Scots Gaelic has the word bùrn, also cognate, but which means "fresh water"; the actual Gaelic for a "burn" is allt (sometimes anglicised as "ault" or "auld" in placenames.)

What does wee burn mean in Scottish? ›

A “wee burn” is a flow of water much smaller than a river. The English words for it would be “small stream”.

That's how you say a Happy Burns night. We have celebrated in Scottish Style today here at Oaktreecourt majesticare with our amazing Scottish Dundonian Jen Botterill highland bagpiper.

The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, known as Burns Night (Scots: Burns Nicht; Scottish Gaelic: Oidhche na Taigeise) also called Robert Burns Day or Rabbie Burns Day (or Robbie Burns Day in Canada).

My favourite, without a doubt, is Talisker 10 y o - because it's sweet and lightly smoky, then spicy in the finish. Pour it on (anoint) the haggis or drink alongside. I like the taste of haggis and prefer it enhanced by whisky rather than overpowered by it.

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the pudding-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm : Weel are ye wordy o'a grace As lang's my arm.

Although the most common way to eat haggis is accompanied with mashed neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), along with a liberal glug of whisky cream sauce, there are other ways to savour Scotland's most famed food. On the more traditional side of things, you could try Balmoral Chicken.

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.

Yet traditional Scottish food has, for the most, been built around basic ingredients. Porridge, stews, broths and soups were the staple diet of ordinary people for centuries – cheap dishes that could be cooked on an open fire, and that would keep Scots warm and their stomachs full throughout the day.

Scotland's national dish is haggis, a savoury meat pudding, and it's traditionally accompanied by mashed potatoes, turnips (known as 'neeps') and a whisky sauce.