Burns Supper Recipes

Read our easy entertaining guide for information on how to host a Burns supper.

Cock-a-leekie Soup

1 boiling fowl (about 4 lb.,) including legs and wings

1 lb. leeks (about 12) cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces

4 pints stock or water

1 oz. long grained rice

4 oz. cooked, stoned prunes

1 tsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper

Garnish of bay leaf, parsley, thyme

Some recipes also have 3 chopped rashers of streaky bacon

Put the fowl and bacon in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and remove any scum. Add three-quarters of the leeks, (green as well as white sections), herbs (tied together in a bundle), salt and pepper and return to the boil. Simmer gently for 2-3 hours, adding more water if necessary.

Remove the bird. Some thrifty chefs use the bird as another course, others cut the meat into small pieces and add them back to the soup (certainly it should have some pieces of chicken in it when served). Add the rice and drained prunes and the remaining leeks and simmer for another 30 minutes. Check for flavour and serve with a little chopped parsley.

Serves 6 to 8 people.

Haggis

Set of sheep's heart, lungs and liver (cleaned by a butcher)

1 beef bung

3 cups finely chopped suet

1 cup medium ground oatmeal

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 cup beef stock

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp mace

Trim off any excess fat and sinew from the sheep's intestine and, if present, discard the windpipe. Place in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or possibly longer to ensure that they are all tender. Drain and cool.

Some chefs toast the oatmeal in an oven until it is thoroughly dried out (but not browned or burnt!)

Finely chop the meat and combine in a large bowl with the suet, oatmeal, finely chopped onions, beef stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mace. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. Stuff the meat and spices mixture into the beef bung which should be over half full. Then press out the air and tie the open ends tightly with string. Make sure that you leave room for the mixture to expand or else it may burst while cooking. If it looks as though it may do that, prick with a sharp needle to reduce the pressure.

Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for three hours. Avoid boiling vigorously to avoid bursting the skin.

For added flavour, you can add some nutmeg to the potatoes and allspice to the turnip/swede. Some people like to pour a little whisky over their haggis — don't go overboard or you'll make the haggis cold. At Burns suppers, the haggis is traditionally piped in and Burns' "Address to the Haggis" is recited over it.

Cranachan

3 oz. pinhead or coarse oatmeal

Half pint double cream

1 tbsp Drambuie (optional)

Toast the oatmeal in a frying pan on a high heat until lightly brown. Whisk the cream into a soft consistency and mix in the oatmeal and Drambuie (alternatively, use a few drops vanilla essence or other flavouring of your choice.) Serve in tall glasses. A popular variation is to mix in 6 oz of fresh raspberries or use vanilla ice cream instead of cream.

Source: Traditional Scottish Recipes