Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!
Written by revered Scottish poet Robert Burns to celebrate his appreciation of the haggis, this poem – Address to a Haggis – has become the soundtrack to Burns Suppers for generations. January 25th is Burns Night – one of the most significant dates in the diary of every Scotsman. On this night every year, the poem is recited when the haggis is brought to the table accompanied by a piper playing a rousing tune. The reading precedes the theatrical cutting of the haggis with a ceremonial knife.
Dust off the bagpipes, steam your kilt and polish the sgian-dubh (say skee-an-doo, and then Google it!) It’s Burns Night and the Quattro crew are bringing you recipes for some of the best loved traditional Scots dishes, including haggis. Yes, it’s a sheep’s stomach, and yes, we have a failsafe and convincing recipe for a delicious meat-free alternative. Trust us.
Veggie haggis
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 8 closed cup mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 tin borlotti beans
- 50g green lentils
- 50g rolled oats
- 50 g dried hominy corn – ground
- 50g vegetarian suet
- 250ml vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground coriander/nutmeg, allspice
- Pinch of cinnamon
Gently fry the onion, carrot and mushrooms. Cook the lentils in the water with stock. Add the cooked lentils, beans and nuts to the onion mixture. Gently fry the oats for a few minutes, then add to the onion mixture with the soy sauce, lemon juice and spices until the liquid starts to boil away. Turn into an ovenproof dish and cook at 180 degrees for 35 minutes.
Serve hot and challenge your guests to guess if it’s the real thing! (If they’ve ever tried the real thing, that is.)
Cullen Skink
Filling and comforting, this delicious Scottish fish soup is served with crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 250g smoked haddock
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 300ml water
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 250ml whole milk
Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onion and fry until soft, add the water and the potatoes and bring to the boil. Add the haddock to the milk in another pan and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to an oven dish and flake into large pieces. Add the potatoes to the milk and fish and cook for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
Shortbread
Ingredients
- 125g butter
- 50g caster sugar
- 180g plain flour
Method
Beat the butter and the sugar together until smooth in an electric mixer. Add the flour and roll out the dough onto a floured surface. Cut into fingers and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with caster sugar and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden-brown.
Porridge
This classic Scottish breakfast is hearty, filling and delicious, especially served piping hot with a drizzle of honey. Quattro’s porridge is of the classic oat variety, or a mix of oats and quinoa. For our vegan customers we use oat milk or coconut milk.
Your Burns Night is ready to go. Starter, main course, dessert and even breakfast the next morning – all sorted. All that’s left is to bring out the best Highland Malt for your Scottish celebration. Enjoy your home-made, lockdown Burns Night. Slàinte mhath (slange-va)!