Celebrate Burns Night with Scottish comfort food

Updated
Burns Night Supper Celebrated At Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
Burns Night Supper Celebrated At Robert Burns Birthplace Museum


The 25th of January is when Scots celebrate the national poet, Robbie Burns. The traditional supper usually consists of haggis, neeps and tatties, perhaps with some clootie dumpling or raspberry cranachan afterwards. And don't forget the essential nip of whisky.

In the video above, Scottish chef Ian Sim shows a really easy way to cook a haggis in the oven. It's a good alternative to the usual method of boiling because it doesn't fill the kitchen with steam. It also works well for vegetarian haggis too. And if you have any leftovers from either, they can be combined into a shepherd's or cottage pie.

But if haggis is not your favourite winter warmer, why not try stovies instead? This might not be a pretty dish but it's comfort food at it's best and great for feeding a crowd on a cold night. It's similar to corned beef hash.

Ingredients
1 tin of corned beef, chopped
8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 jelly stock pot (or a tin of Baxter's beef consomme)
1 beef Oxo cube
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook until brown.
Add the potatoes, stock or comsomme, Oxo cube and about 250ml of water. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes have absorbed all the liquid and are soft. Add the corned beef and stir to combine. Taste and season as required.

Scottish soups and winter warmers
Haddock and potato soup (cullen skink)
Cock a leekie
Scottish mashed potatoes with cabbage

Puddings, cakes and sweets:
Raspberry and honey cranachan
Blackberry, cinnamon and apple cranachan
Peach and strawberry cranachan
Dundee cake

Try your hand at some recipes with whisky:
Whisky mac cake
Drunken orange slices
Chocolate eclairs with liqueur cream filling

Learn more about whisky:
How to tell if whisky is worth the price tag
How to add water to whisky
How to nose whisky
How to collect whisky

More from AOL Travel:
What to eat when you go to Scotland
Scotland named must-see destination for 2017

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