Nicola Cornick

Today, 25th January, is the birthday of Scots poet Robert Burns. He was born in 1759 in a small cottage near the Bridge of Doon two miles from the town of Ayr. His birthday is celebrated by people of Scots descent all over the world. Tonight in this house we’ll be eating Cock-a-Leekie soup made from chicken and leeks with stewed prunes (delicious!) There is a recipe here if you fancy giving it a try! This is followed by the traditional Burns Night dish of Haggis with Neeps and Tatties (turnips and potatoes). I’ve always found this dish extremely tasty and there is a vegetarian version of haggis you can buy as well.

The meal begins with the “Selkirk Grace”:

This is a poem attributed to Burns who is said to have written it on a visit to the Earl of Selkirk. After the grace, the haggis is brought in to a bagpipe accompaniment. (That probably won’t be happening here although I will put on my recording of the beautiful piece Highland Cathedral later in homage.) After toasting the haggis with whisky we’ll be tucking in. Oh, and there will probably be some more malt whisky consumption later!

Wherever you are in the world and whatever you are eating I wish you a very Happy Burns Night! Here are a couple of our Scottish photographs to celebrate. If you’d like to see more, there is a link here to our online Scottish gallery.