On 25th January is Burns night, the night to celebrate the famous Scottish poet Robbie Burns. It is always special to me – I don’t think I have any ancestry connecting me to the great man but I do like that I share his name.

Central to the celebrations is eating a simple meal of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. At a traditional Burns Night Supper, the haggis would be piped in and set on the table. It would then be addressed with the words written by the great man himself which hails the ‘great chieftain o the puddin race’.

Haggis is a meal of the common man which is who Robbie Burns represented, writing in the language of the Scottish people rather than formal English.

If you want to hear more about Haggis then tune in the Food Connections Podcast to hear Dr Laura Wyness interviewing James MacSween, of one of the most famous manufacturers of haggis. Answering common questions and maybe busting a few myths!

Before you eat, take a moment to consider the Selkirk Grace:

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it,

But we hae meat and we can eat,

Sae let the Lord be Thankit!