Burns Night

Over the past few years I've been to a few Burns' Night events and this year I decided to host one - although I held it an evening earlier than the correct date.

Cue neeps, tatties and haggis...

Neeps = English swede,  boiled and mashed with butter.

Tatties = mashed potatoes.

Haggis = a savoury pudding.

Address to a Haggis - Robert Burns

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak yer place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my airm.

translation

Nice seeing your honest, chubby face,

Great chieftain of the sausage race!

Above them all you take your place,

Belly, tripe, or links:

Well are you worthy of a grace

As long as my arm

...there are seven more verses in similar vein!

Some lovely gifts were brought.  I was very happy to get a Gillian Kyle tea towel with an illustration of a Tunnock's Teacake wrapper as I do love my print of the wrapper so much.  And a delightful arrangements of tulips (my favourite flowers) and heather in a tin wrapped in the 'Address to a Haggis' poem.

Lots of Scottish Beer was drunk and of course a fair few drams of whisky were imbibed too.