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Anyone enjoying a Haggis supper this Burns night?


Tijuana Taxi

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I partake in a Haggis for dinner on Burns night in honour of my paternal Scottish grandparents.

Also because I enjoy it so much, rare treat and ordered in from Rendalls of Stirling.

Admittedly along with a fair few of their scotch pies and bridies, have to make the order worthwhile.

 

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2 hours ago, Tijuana Taxi said:

I partake in a Haggis for dinner on Burns night in honour of my paternal Scottish grandparents.

Also because I enjoy it so much, rare treat and ordered in from Rendalls of Stirling.

Admittedly along with a fair few of their scotch pies and bridies, have to make the order worthwhile.

 

Im trying to find a way to get Haggis in the States. Any recommendations on the best way to prepare or what to serve with  it ? 

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I'm still scratching my head at the use of "Haggis" and "enjoying" in the same sentance .... 

next you'll be telling us that bagpipes are a musical instrument and not an ancient Scottish torture implement !  :)

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30 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Im trying to find a way to get Haggis in the States. Any recommendations on the best way to prepare or what to serve with  it ? 

Boil in the bag, served with 'neeps and tatties'  turnips/swedes and potatoes

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49 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Im trying to find a way to get Haggis in the States. Any recommendations on the best way to prepare or what to serve with  it ? 

 

Wrap the whole haggis in tin foil and place in an ovenproof dish with about an inch of water.

Cover and cook for 60-80 mins at 180c then it should be ready to split open.

I have mine with mashed potato and mashed swede rather than the traditional turnip. 

 

Edited by Tijuana Taxi
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12 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Im trying to find a way to get Haggis in the States. Any recommendations on the best way to prepare or what to serve with  it ? 

 

I'm afraid you're out of luck Dennis, according to google (despite which, I believe it to be true):

 

Importing authentic haggis from the U.K. into the U.S. is actually illegal.

 

Sorry mate,

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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We have Staggis (My own home made "haggis" made from venison and pluck from red deer I have shot my self) along with home grown mashed swede and home grown Golden Wonder tatties with home made rowan jelly. All washed down with copious amounts of locally made Clynelish whisky.

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14 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Im trying to find a way to get Haggis in the States.

 

Best haggis I've found in the States so far is from Scottish Gourmet down in NC.  Black pudding is decent though not great. 

 I haven't bought from them in a while as they had some quality issues and I had to return about 3 orders of haggis -and Scotch pies (now I make my own)

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10 minutes ago, hendie said:

 

Best haggis I've found in the States so far is from Scottish Gourmet down in NC.  Black pudding is decent though not great. 

 I haven't bought from them in a while as they had some quality issues and I had to return about 3 orders of haggis -and Scotch pies (now I make my own)

 

Ah. So google lied to me. Again. :crying:

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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2 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

 

Ah. So google lied to me. Again. :crying:

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

Not really, it IS illegal to import real haggis. They have it made somewhere on the US - so it's not allowed to contain lungs, but otherwise it tasted fine. Their black pudding is also made here, again tastes okay but not a patch on a real Stornoway black pudding.

 

I used them on numerous occasions over a few years but gave up on them after their haggis mess, their scotch pies arriving uncooked and completely thawed, and some.other pies arriving filled only with gravy - no meat inside.

Maybe they've got their act together now - I would hope so as their offerings were the best I'd found here.

 

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8 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

 

I'm afraid you're out of luck Dennis, according to google (despite which, I believe it to be true):

 

Importing authentic haggis from the U.K. into the U.S. is actually illegal.

 

Sorry mate,

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

Ive read that as well but did find a link on Amazon claiming to be in the U.K. They claimed they were able to ship to the U.S.. It was the price that stopped me, £14 for one package seemed a bit excessive ? 

 

6 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

 

Ah. So google lied to me. Again. :crying:

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

Not necessarily so, when I researched it all it was certain ingredients that the Dept. of Agriculture has issues with. Maybe the product from Hendies source changes the recipe to replace the ingredients ?

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We didn't have haggis yesterday due to logistical issues but we had chicken balmoral today instead.

 

I also understood it was some of the ingredients of traditional haggis which meant they couldn't be exported to the US

There are bits of sheep (other than wool :sheep: ) they don't believe count as foodstuff

Speaking of foodstuff

 

6 hours ago, Beermonster1958 said:

one of those people that like Marmite!

What's wrong with Marmite?

 

/P

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9 hours ago, Beermonster1958 said:

I'll bet you're one of those people that like Marmite! 😉😂🤮

 

John

 

Ps -  agree about the bagpipes!

 

 

Agree wholeheartedly on Marmite being 🤮

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13 hours ago, psdavidson said:

What's wrong with Marmite?

 

10 hours ago, IanHx said:

Agree wholeheartedly on Marmite being 🤮

Hmmm never had Marmite, any similarities to Vegemite ? Ive had the pleasure of trying that in the 80’s when we had a foreign exchange student from Australia. 

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4 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

 

Hmmm never had Marmite, any similarities to Vegemite ? Ive had the pleasure of trying that in the 80’s when we had a foreign exchange student from Australia. 

Kinda a kissing cousin. Not as salty, for the refined "Pommy" palate as my friends would say.

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On 1/25/2022 at 10:15 PM, Tijuana Taxi said:

 

I have mine with mashed potato and mashed swede rather than the traditional turnip. 

 

In Scotland when you talk about turnips, especially the neeps for accompanying haggis, we mean the big orange turnip that nearly everyone else calls swede. So Swede is appropriate. Although it should be called turnip. I don't know if it's we Scots or the rest of the world that is contrary. But Haggis, neeps and tatties are mandatory on Burns night in our house. 

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I spent many happy Burn's Nights when I was the Head Chef in a restaurant. I followed the Piper, in full chef's whites and my toque blanche (tall white hat), bearing the Haggis on a silver platter, around the room, followed by an entourage of some of the dignitaries of the group.

Once our "lap" around the room was complete and the Piper had beaten the tartan bag into submission, the attention was drawn to the Master of Ceremonies who would turn towards me, still bearing the wee beastie and then address the Haggis by reciting the Robert Burns poem,  during which he would slash it open with a ceremonial knife and we'd all toast the Haggis with a dram of the finest malt.

On one notable occasion, we had a new Master of Ceremonies, who rang me on the morning of the event and asked me if I minded if he was to come to the Restaurant early so that he could "get a feel for the room" and rehearse the address. I told him that it was no problem, but that there would be staff rushing around the room,  moving the tables and chairs around to create the "circuit" for the Haggis to be paraded and that the tables had to be laid, but I promised that I'd find him a little corner where he could rehearse.

He arrived at 12:00, however, the function wasn't until 19:30!!

He also arrived with the Piper.

throughout the afternoon, all we could hear was the sweet dulcet tones of matey boy in full flow with the "address".

When service time arrived, we assembled in the corridor with the Piper at the front, yours truly with the Haggis, a very nervous Master of Ceremonies and a handful of selected guests behind him and so off we went into the room of 150 expectant diners accompanied by the sound of "Scotland the Brave" coming from the front together with loud clapping and cheering from the guests.

The usual brief was once around the room, which was quite large and then stop at the top table at which sat the Chairman of the group and his good lady. As we approached the top table, the Piper didn't slow down, but continued onto a second lap of the room.

When we did eventually come to a standstill, the Master of Ceremonies began his performance of the address. I did notice that some of his words were just a wee bit slurry, he'd obviously been rehearsing the toast as well, but he stood there with a copy of the poem in his hand and with great theatrical gusto, delivered immortal words of Robert Burns.

Then came the time for the highlight of the ceremony when the Haggis is cut open, at which point, whilst still in loud and slurry flow, he produced a large knife and stood like Jack the Ripper over the defenceless Haggis and lunged  with the weapon towards it. Not only were his words all slurry, but he must have had trouble with his eyesight as well, because as he went to stab the beast, he only caught the side of it. The blade then struck the silver platter and with the force of the attack slipped and headed towards my thumb. Fortunately, because the platter was hot, I was holding it with two white linen service cloths and the knife slid into that. I think I deserved my dram that night!

 

Chris.

 

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5 hours ago, 825 said:

In Scotland when you talk about turnips, especially the neeps for accompanying haggis, we mean the big orange turnip that nearly everyone else calls swede. So Swede is appropriate. Although it should be called turnip. I don't know if it's we Scots or the rest of the world that is contrary. But Haggis, neeps and tatties are mandatory on Burns night in our house. 

No, In Ulster we call that orange turnip a 'neep' and the white ones turn-ups as well

I suppose its cos most people of Ulster are descended from Scots settlers or have been influenced by them

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Swede is Swedish turnip, called neeps in Scotland. Also known as rutabaga is the orange fleshed form of root brassica it is a relation to the white fleshed turnip which is called turnip. So swede or neeps is the correct name for the orange fleshed type usually accompanying haggis.

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Address to a Haggis

 

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

 

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o need,
While thro your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

Robert Burns

 

Although the list of contents sounds vile (offal in a sheep's stomach), the taste is magnificent, accompanied by bashed neeps and tatties and washed down with copious glasses of malt whisky.

If you've never tried a real Haggis Dinner you've missed one of life's great culinary triumphs.

 

As to the wonderful sound of the bagpipes there's nothing as stirring as a pipe band swaggering past with snare drums clickety-clicking behind. Why else did the British Army march into battle behind them for two hundred years!

 

Indoors they are often played with a chanter which is much quieter than the full set of pipes. 

I once sang with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus (200 trained voices), the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (120 players) and 5 pipers in a recording in Glasgow. With the singers and orchestra giving it laldy at full blast fff, the 5 pipers opened up and drowned out everything!! Real Scxottish bagipes are very very loud!

 

Edited by Macsporran
typo
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When I was a child I was sent to learn the bagpipes, you started of on the practice chanter with a weak reed and a mouth piece.

 

Once you had learned the notes, could read the music and had learned a few tunes you then progressed to the bagpipe itself.

 

For this you used a "goose" which was a full set of pipes with the drones blocked off so that you could keep the bag filled more easily.

 

Once you had the bag filled you then gave the bag a punch or push under the drones 'tween them and the chanter to get the reed working.

 

I dully filled the bag and gave it a punch as instructed and the reed started, it was so loud that I got such a fright that I dropped the pipes and bolted under the stairs, much to the delight and amusement of my tutor.

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