Warm your cockles with a Sarson’s twist on a Hot Toddy. A dash of pickling juice adds a delicious depth of flavour to this seasonal cocktail.
· 35ml Whisky
· 35mlnSarson’s Pickling Malt Vinegar
· 70ml pressed Apple Juice
· 1 star anise
· 2 cloves
· 2 strips of lemon peel
· 1 tbsp runny honey
Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and warm – do not boil. Once warm, serve in a mug or hot toddy glass
Raise a dram to Robert Burns in style at The Ivy on the Square, where guests will be treated to a limited-edition menu featuring some traditional Scottish favourites with an Ivy twist.
On Tuesday, 25 January, diners can enjoy a good helping of Scottish cuisine with classic Burns Night dishes, including a Haggis Neeps and Tatties Shepherd’s Pie, and the regular favourite Oatmeal-rolled Lathallan Haggis Bon Bons. For those with a sweet tooth, the menu also features a Hazelnut Praline Parfait.
Additional themed cocktails will be available alongside entertainment that will pay tribute to Robert Burns and his work. Get ready for some poetry, pipes and drams!
Cocktails include My Love Is Like a Red, Red, Rose (£9.75) a whisky lover’s twist on the classic Bramble cocktail with Highland Park 12 Year Old Whisky, lemon juice, sugar and a float of Crème de Mure; and My Heart Is In The Highlands (£12.75) a wonderfully indulgent champagne cocktail with Highland Park 12 Year Old Whisky, Grand Marnier & The Ivy Champagne poured carefully over a sugar cube soaked in Angostura Bitters.
To view the full menu and make a reservation, visit TheIvyEdinburgh.com
With Burns Night fast approaching wild flavour innovators Buck & Birch felt it was a great time to share possibly the most indulgent and decadent Burn’s supper recipes going – The Forager’s Haggis!
A Burn’s Supper would traditionally consist of Haggis, neeps and tatties but head chef, master forager and flavour expert at Buck & Birch, Rupert Waites has elevated the dish with foraged ingredients, wild game and a mound of sweet, sticky, braised red cabbage made with a generous glug of Buck & Birch’s award-winning elderberry liqueur, Aleder Elixir.
This recipe may seem a little daunting to make from scratch, but a butcher bought haggis will work just fine but don’t forget the Aleder Elixir braised cabbage – it makes all the difference!
FOR THE HAGGIS
METHOD
Quarter the red cabbage and remove the core, then finely shred. Tip into a large pan with the red onion, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Aelder Elixir, thyme and butter and season well.
Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid, lower the heat and cook for 1 1/ 2 hrs, stirring every so often.
Remove the lid and continue cooking for 30 mins until tender and the liquid is reduced and glossy .
To help Scot’s mark one of the most celebrated days in the calendar, Aldi Scotland has unveiled its Burns Night Specialbuy range, which includes Macaulay’s haggis for just 99p.
Available at all 102 Scottish stores from 13th January, Scots are guaranteed unbeatable bargains on all essential food and drink in honour of the country’s foremost poet.
Those looking for quality products at a fraction of the price will not be disappointed as Aldi Scotland’s everyday haggis range has both the traditional fare and a vegetarian option available for only 99p (offer available 13th – 25th Jan). While Simon Howie’s Gluten Free Haggis makes sure no one is left out of the fun for just £1.99.
The supermarket, which was awarded Multiple Fruit and Vegetable Retailer of the Year 2021 by the Fresh Produce Consortium, will also be launching an exclusive Burns Supper Super Six veg offering, complete with tatties, neeps and all the trimmings supplied by local producers from just 35p.
Customers looking for the perfect centrepiece to their Burns Night celebrations, can pick up a Specially Selected Chieftain Haggis for only £2.99 and no celebration would be complete without ‘tak’ing a cup of kindness’ and with multi award-winning Glen Marnoch 12 year-old Speyside Single Malt reduced to just £17.99 (offer available 13th – 25th Jan) Aldi has all the essentials covered.
Not a fan of the ‘Great chieftain o the puddin’-race’? No problem, Aldi Scotland has a fantastic range of both traditional and unique Scottish products available, including Punjab Pakora’s Iron Brew Pakora (£1.79) which is back on shelves due to popular demand.
And those looking for a twist on Scotland’s national dish are spoilt for choice with Punjab Pakora’s Haggis Pakora (£1.49), Curried Haggis Bites by Simon Howie (£1.99) and Bell’s Steak and Haggis Pie (£2.99) all included in the retailer’s Best of Scotland range.
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “Burns Night is our chance to celebrate everything which is great about Scotland, and this year our Burns Night range has something for everyone.
“As well as offering great prices on classic dishes, we are offering vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as some more unique Scots’ products like Iron Brew Pakora and Curried Haggis Bites.
“In 2021 we continued to underline our commitment to Scottish suppliers and produce, supplying over 450 Scottish products from over 90 local suppliers to our shoppers. We are now pleased to be kicking of 2022 by once again working with so many of our long-standing suppliers in Scotland to offer our customers a fantastic range of products.”
Amaazin.Scot is a new online marketplace that aims to showcase and support independent Scottish designers. This Burns night, Amaazin.Scot is hosting a virtual Burns marketplace, highlighting the fantastic independent businesses within Scotland.
Monday the 25th of January is Robert Burns Day, a day in which Scotland is highlighted to the rest of the world. Burns day will be slightly different this year due to the pandemic supporting an artist through Amaazin.Scot is a great way to commemorate one of Scotland’s greatest writers.
Over the past ten months, the Scottish economy has faced continued economic upheaval due to the COVID 19 pandemic. It has affected every member of society but the impacts that it has had on small independent business owners, in some cases, has been fatal.
“Amaazin.Scot is giving me a new sales opportunity where I can demonstrate my work to a brand new audience,” said Toben Lewis, Book Design and Bibliopegist.
Amaazin.Scot has created a platform for small businesses during these difficult times. Moreover, it provides accessibility and ease for consumers as they no longer have to spend hours searching for small designers. The Amaazin.Scot goal is for us all to work together to make Scotland better than ever.
Burns day celebrates Robert Burns, Scotland national Bard and the Ploughman Poet. Over the decades Burns Day has become synonymous with Scottish culture and heritage as a whole. However, this year many Burns day or night traditions such as Burns suppers and ceilidhs will not be possible due to current lockdown restrictions.
Not long left till the 25th!
We may have no control over lockdown and the virus – a haggis for ten has become a haggis for one! – however, we can still celebrate Burns night in style at home.
Support fantastic small Scottish businesses this Burns night whether it’s with a beer from Bellfield brewery over Zoom or over a Taxi board game after your dinner.
We won’t forget Scotland’s Bard even if we can’t leave the house – click here to discover how to keep your Burns night special. https://amaazin.scot/
PENSIONERS at a local care home are set to celebrate Scotland’s most famous poet virtually with food and song thanks to dedicated care staff and the latest technology.
Staff at Cramond Residence have pulled out all the stops to create a virtual Burns Night to ensure residents did not miss out on celebrating the occasion with fellow friends at the home.
Lockdown restrictions and the current strain of Covid-19 led to Cramond Residence utilising its self-contained, small-group living units, which were built into the architectural designs, to help with infection control.
It means that while the residents at the 74-room care home remain separated by the 9 houses, they’ll be able to celebrate as one through video conferencing set up in each house. Every house has a comfy lounge with a private television for use by the small group of residents in it.
James McDiarmid, Lifestyle Coordinator at the 74-room care home in Edinburgh will pre-record an address to the haggis which will be shared and watched via a virtual link, before residents get a chance to raise a dram to the bard and catch up with their friends shielding at other parts of the home.
James said: “We are looking to make the best out of this situation and our home is really lucky to be able to continue facilitating the Burns Night celebration, as every resident has access to a tablet or television.
“The virtual Burns Night will offer something different for our residents and it is a wonderful safe way to bring everyone together.
“Staff at the home have had to think outside the box to make sure resident continue to have rich, stimulating group experiences and everyone has worked really hard to adapt the activities to a virtual setting.
“The staff are looking forward to the celebration just as much as the residents, I’m sure it will be a good laugh – especially since I’m kicking off the night with the address.”
Residents will celebrate the day with a poetry group discussion and a presentation of the history of Burns Night.
Every year Scots across the world celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns, with Haggis, Irn Bru and Whisky normally consumed.
Cramond Residence’s catering team will serve the classic Burns Night menu with residents tucking into a starter of cook a leekie soup, followed by a main of haggis, neeps and tatties and for dessert it is cranachan or even a “wee dram”.
James added: “Events like these give the residents the chance to do something outside of their normal routine and everyone usually enjoys celebrating the patriotic event, albeit this year might be a bit different.
“We can’t wait to welcome family and friends back into the home to enjoy these events with our residents when it is safe to do so”.
Throughout lockdown the care home staff have been working with residents to help them become more comfortable with technology. Residents were encouraged to chat with loved ones over Skype and other video platforms, this has branched into individuals learning how to use an app called Pl@ntNet to identify what flowers are in the garden.
Cramond Residence is a purpose-built care combining luxury, five-star accommodation with outstanding clinical standards – with places available from £1850 per week.
The home offers high quality care for up to 74 residents offering a small-group living concept in nine houses, with all residents enjoying an exceptional range of amenities and activities, delicious food and bespoke care from our highly-trained team.
To find out more, call 0131 341 4037 or visit https://cramondresidence.co.uk/
Aldi are now selling some of the nation’s favourite dishes to help customers celebrate Burns Night on a budget.
With prices starting at just 99p, Aldi’s Burns Night range has something to suit everyone, whether they are cooking a big feast for their household or celebrating the big day solo on the sofa.
Aldi has partnered with some of its top local suppliers, including Simon Howie, McIntosh of Strathmore and We hae meat, to bring the best of Scotland’s larder to your Burns table.
Customers can pick up everything they need for a traditional Burns supper, including haggis, neeps and tatties to feed a family up to six for only £3.12.
Comfortably feeding two to three adults, Aldi’s best-selling Macaulay’s Haggis (454g) is available in store every day and customers can choose from the traditional meat option or a delicious vegetarian alternative for only 99p (offer available 14th – 25th Feb). Also available in store is the popular Specially Selected Chieftain Haggis (£2.69, 908g), the perfect centrepiece for any Burns Night table, and feeds up to six hungry mouths.
Aldi’s weekly Super 6 deal on fresh vegetables includes Maris Piper Potatoes (79p, 2.5kg) and Swede (35p each), to make the all-important tatties and neeps to accompany your haggis.
For anyone looking for a modern twist to a traditional Burns supper, Aldi’s Specially Selected Haggis En Croute (£3.49, 470g) has returned to stores after flying off the shelves last year. There’s also Jumbo Haggis Pigs in Blankets (£2.29, 400g) from Ayrshire butcher We hae meat, Simon Howie Haggis Bon Bons (£1.99, 240g) and Haggis Olives (£2.99, 400g), Bells Steak & Haggis Pies (99p, 2 pack), and a Haggis Pakora Platter (£2.79, 350g).
If you would prefer to put your feet up and have a delicious Burns Supper prepared for you, why not try Aldi’s McIntosh of Strathmore Burns Box (£3.49, 900g) meal kit for two, complete with everything you and your partner need to celebrate Scotland’s national poet without lifting a finger (apart from popping it in the microwave)!
Finally, no Burns Night would be complete without a dram of Scotch and customers can choose from a range of high-quality Scottish Malt whiskies, including Aldi’s award winning Highland Black 8-Year-Old Scotch Whisky (£14.00, 70cl) and Glen Marnoch Islay, Speyside and Highland Single Malt Whiskies (£16.49, 70cl).
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “From hearty family meals to delicious haggis dishes with a modern twist, Aldi’s 2021 Burns Night range offers customers the whole package when it comes to creating the ultimate Burns Supper.
“With celebrations having to be a bit different this year, it’s all the more important that we have things to look forward to and enjoy, and there’s nothing better than delicious, comforting Scottish produce to get into the spirit of Burns.”
Aldi’s Scottish Burns Night range is available from all 96 Scottish Aldi stores. You can find your nearest Aldi store here.
The Full Burns Night range includes:
Aldi Super 6 Veg Offering
Feed a family of four to six for only £3.12
Whisky is often enjoyed neat or on the rocks, but cocktails aren’t just for Gin, Rum or Vodka.
With a breadth of flavour combinations, and Burns Night just around the corner, it’s time to make Whisky the star of your cocktail bar. Even if the spirit isn’t your go-to tipple, there are plenty of flavours to explore that will tickle your taste buds.
As you raise a toast to Robert Burns, you want to honour him with the good stuff. The team at drinks retailer Bottle Club have compiled their mostpopular scotch whisky cocktails, along with recipes for you to try at home.
Popular Scotch Whisky Cocktails:
The Robert Burns is one of the classic cocktails that pays tribute to another of Scotland’s finest exports.
The drink itself is a delightful, sophisticated mix that builds on the scotch-vermouth combination of Rob Roy. The addition of absinthe brings in a nice contrasting flavour, though be sure to keep this accent to a dash, as it can easily overpower the drink.
If absinthe is a bit too much for your taste, there is a variation called the Bobby Burns which omits absinthe for Bénédictine.
It is a Scottish tradition to celebrate the poet Burns’ birthday on January 25th of each year, and whether this drink was named for him or not, it is a fantastic choice for the evening’s libation.
Ingredients
Image: The Spruce
The Rusty Nail is the ultimate Scotch cocktail. It’s a very simple mix of scotch and Drambuie that is served on the rocks. This is designed to be a sophisticated, slow-sipping drink, and it’s excellent after dinner.
Feel free to switch from blended to single malts and explore various brands, choosing a variety that is as top-shelf as you wish. You may also want to adjust the ratio of the two spirits to fit your taste, as well as the type of whisky you’re pouring at the moment.
Ingredients
The Rob Roy cocktail was named after an operetta that narrated the story of a great Scottish folk hero who supported the poor.
Image: Pexels
A Scotch version of the classic Manhattan cocktail, a Rob Roy replaces bourbon or rye whisky with Scotch. The Rob Roy ingredients are also similar to that of a classic Old Fashioned, but the Rob Roy recipe uses sweet vermouth instead of sugar syrup for a richer flavour.
Best served by putting the cocktail glass in the freezer to ensure the Rob Roy stays cold, as the drink is served without ice. Stirring a Rob Roy cocktail rather than shaking is critical in delicate cocktails with few ingredients, so not to over dilute the drink.
Ingredients
A good Toddy has been said to jump-start mornings, cure colds and play furnace on a frigid evening. Many people believe that its first use was as a medicinal aid, as liquor was known to numb pain, while citrus and sugar (or honey) could soothe a sore throat.
Image: Millennial Magazine
This recipe comes from San Francisco bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout and features whiskey, hot water, demerara sugar and a clove-studded lemon peel. Fortunately, the Toddy is very easy to make.
Grab your favourite mug, and heat it with some boiling water, similar to how you chill a Martini glass. After a minute or two, throw away the water, and build your drink in the same mug by combining your spirit with sugar and more hot water.
Ingredients
The Ruby Queen recipe was developed by Rob Krueger of Extra Fancy in New York City.
Though it is filled with a couple of unusual ingredients, the Ruby Queen is quite easy to mix up. You will need to prepare or acquire fresh beet juice and take a few minutes to make a fresh honey syrup.
Image: Pinterest
It’s a surprise when you taste just how well scotch works against this sweetened vegetable profile, whilst most of us will prefer a more neutral spirit for such a distinct flavour like beets, the whisky adds a depth that vodka and gin cannot.
Simply pour and shake like any other drink and you will have a savoury drink that will rival any Bloody Mary.
Ingredients
Scotland has a wonderful relationship with desserts and none more so, or more traditional, than with Scottish cranachan. A cranachan is a very quick, easy recipe that includes oats, raspberries, cream, malt whisky, and honey; the ingredients are then layered for a pretty presentation. It’s a festive sweet that is perfect to round off a Burns’ Night supper beautifully.
Ingredients
NOTE: Many recipes suggest a malt Whisky, and good quality – a few recipes have specifically specified Glenfiddich or Glenlivet.
Tips for cooking with whisky: ““Many chefs compare using whisky to using salt, as it brings out the flavor of the food. During cooking, the evaporation of the alcohol concentrates the barley malt and then caramelizes sugars in the spirit”
Whisky sauce for haggis. It’s a no-brainer, right? Two of Scotland’s finest products paired together in a delicious meal! Of course, this whisky sauce can also be a great accompaniment to other meats like steak or chicken, or even a nut roast.
Ingredients
Tips for cooking with whisky: “If you’re going to cook with whisky, always use a good quality bottle. You won’t need to use much and it will make all the difference”
Image: Rocky Luton
For those growing up in Scotland, long summer days are often spent fishing salmon in the fast-running local rivers. Whisky-cured salmon is a Scottish favourite, served on a large wooden board with a range of accompaniments: oatcakes, thinly sliced pumpernickel bread, small bowls of assorted homemade pickles, crème fraîche, and lots of lemon wedges.
Tips for cooking with whisky: “The flavours of a single malt Scotch whisky, for example, are derived from malted barley fermentation, the distillation process and maturation in oak casks over several years, which makes it ideal to boost a wide variety of flavours in foods”
All credit to The Bottle Club: https://www.thebottleclub.com/
James Macsween, Managing Director at Macsween and guardian of our national dish, put on a Burns Night performance as he addressed the haggis in M&S’s store at The Gyle shopping centre.
Customers were treated to this one-of-a-kind shopping experience which saw the haggis piped into the foodhall and highland dancers put on a show. Lots of tasters of M&S’s Burns Night range were on offer for all as locals celebrated Scotland’s age-old tradition.
Macsween makes an exclusive recipe of their sensationally popular haggis especially for M&S.
With new delicious additions such as Haggis, Neeps and Tatties en Croute, as well as traditional favourites, including the signature haggis especially made by James Macsween, M&S has everything you need for a Burns Night feast to remember.
Macsween has been supplying M&S with phenomenally tasty and succulent Haggis and Vegetarian Haggis products since 2012. As the innovators behind the first ever Vegetarian Haggis 35 years ago, there is now a Haggis for everyone to devour on Burns Night with M&S Food.
M&S serves two million customers a week across Scotland and has served Scottish customers for over 100 years – the first store opened in Dundee in 1918.
M&S has a network of over 40 food suppliers based in Scotland, who work with more than 4,000 farms and supply fantastic products across the while of the UK.
Over 2,500 of their products are made from raw materials sourced from Scottish producers.
M&S first began sourcing from Scottish food producers in the 1930s and the supply base has gone from strength to strength.
DON’T FORGET there’s another opportunity to enjoy a Burns Supper this weekend at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre:
This Burns Night people across the world will be reaching for a forkful of Scotland’s finest, with haggis now enjoyed in countries including Greece, Hong Kong, and Ghana and exports booming.
Haggis has risen in global prominence over the past ten years, with the total export value of haggis over the past decade at £8.8 million and a 136% increase in tonnage of haggis shipped across the world.
Appetite for the iconic savoury pudding has spread to 20 countries, including Iceland, Malta, and the Czech Republic. Hong Kong has become the fourth-most popular market for haggis, closely following the Republic of Ireland, Spain and France.
The other stars of the Burns Night plate – neeps and tatties– have also increased in popularity across the globe. Potato exports have increased by 32% over the past ten years to be worth £108 million in 2019 – with the Republic of Ireland, Spain, and Egypt making the top three markets. Turnip exports also increased to a value of £11 million last year.
Burns Night is often also celebrated with a dram of Scotch whisky, which continues to be exported to markets across the world. A burgeoning thirst for Scotch whisky in Asia has seen 23 Asian markets including Taiwan, Singapore, and China grow in the last decade.
Environment Secretary, Theresa Villiers said: “Robert Burns was so enamoured with haggis that he dedicated an entire poem to the delicacy and it’s wonderful that it continues to be enjoyed around the world – more than 200 years later.
“This Burns Night I encourage everyone to sample some haggis and pour a wee dram to celebrate Scotland’s iconic food and drink and growing presence on the world’s culinary stage.”
Minister for Scotland, Douglas Ross said: “The life and work of Robert Burns is rightly celebrated around the world.
“Another Scottish global success story is our iconic food and drink sector and it’s so pleasing to see products such as haggis and whisky enjoying an exports boom. The future is very bright.”
Macsween of Edinburgh, a third-generation haggis making business, has witnessed the world’s change in appetite for the iconic Scottish meat product. In 2018, Macsween began exporting haggis to locations such as Canada and Singapore. It is are now looking to take a bigger bite out of markets in the Middle East and Asia, with a particular focus on the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan.
James Macsween, Managing Director and Owner of Macsween said: “Macsween now exports haggis to 7 international markets, and we expect to see that demand continue to grow as more people around the world come to love our traditional Scottish delicacy.
“We are proud to grow through innovation, and are dedicated to introducing our award-winning products to people around the world who are yet to discover haggis.”
In 2018 total exports of UK food and drink reached a record £22.5 billion. As part of the government’s ongoing Food is GREAT campaign government and British industry are aiming to boost UK trade in food and drink exports and government will continue to work with exporters to help them tap into new markets.
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