Burns Night supper is a celebration of the life of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Traditionally held on the night of, or near to the poet's birthday, January 25th, celebrations can range from informal gatherings of friends, to large formal dinners full of fun, food and fanfare!
Pipers play at the beginning of the evening to welcome guests, before the chairman or host of the evening welcomes and introduces their guests to the evening's entertainment.
Piglet in Bed 100% Table Linen
Traditionally, Haggis would be eaten at the supper and an address to commemorate the poet would be conducted with a ‘Toast to the Haggis’.
At Piglet in Bed, as much as we love a tradition and any excuse to celebrate with loved ones, we wanted however to put our own spin on the traditional Haggis, neeps and tatties supper. We asked our good friend and chef, Xanthe Gladstone to put together a vegetarian alternative that is equally as delicious and just as exciting as the traditional meal.
And if you are in need of a few new tablescaping ideas, she has also shared some lovely table designs using our 100% linen tableware, that you too can easily replicate yourself using a few simple bits and bobs you probably already have in the house.
Now as they say in Scotland, "Sláinte Mhath!" which translates to "Good Health!"
Recipe
Vegetarian haggis
Serves 6 people.
Ingredients:
A white onion
200g brown lentils, precooked
120g pearl barley, precooked
200ml vegetable stock
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp allspice
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
I always soak my grains and pulses for a minimum of one hour before cooking them, preferably overnight. This makes them easier to digest and they will also cook faster.
Method:
- You need to cook the lentils and pearl barley before making your veggie haggis. If you wanted to speed up the process, you could buy the pre-cooked ones. You want to make sure both still have texture but are cooked through. I cook my lentils in vegetable stock with a whole clove of garlic. 1 part lentils, 2 parts water. You can use the same method for the pearl barley.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Once the pearl barley and lentils are cooked, dice the onion and sweat it in the olive oil on a low heat until it has softened. This should take about 15 minutes. Add the cinnamon, allspice, and coriander and let the spices cook with the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme leaves towards the end.
- Combine the pearl barley and lentils, and the cooked onion and spice mixture. Pour the vegetable stock on top and gently mix everything together.
- Grease a loaf tin with butter or olive oil, and pour the mixture in. Bake for 25 minutes until the “haggis” has hardened slightly. Serve with neeps and tatties!
Recipe and photography by Xanthe Gladstone - @xanthegladstone
