A good year for haggis

Written by Helen Fowler

It is turning out a good year for the 'great chieftain o' the pudding race'. Edinburgh haggis maker Macsween reports haggis sales up a quarter to last week's Burns' Night.

Jo Macsween, director of the leading Edinburgh butcher, said: "Our sales have increased 25% in the build-up to the 2010 Burns' Night."

Burns' Night (on January 25) is the annual celebration of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns. It was Burns who penned the immortal lines praising the haggis as the 'great chieftain o' the pudding race."

Burns had an evident fondness for the dish. So you will not be surprised to learn that haggis features prominently in Burns' Night suppers.

These events usually involve speeches, dancing, toasts and recitals of Burns' poetry. They also mean eating haggis. Lots and lots of haggis. Accompanied by 'neeps' (turnips) and 'tatties' (potatoes).

Made from the lungs, heart and liver of sheep, haggis is considered the national dish of Scotland. As a child growing up in Scotland, I ate haggis at least twice a week, once at school and once at home. I never considered it a delicacy. We all took it for granted as a basic meal.

These days, haggis has moved with the times. It now comes in microwaveable one-minute form. Some of Scotland's finest restaurants serve it as a starter and main course. Vegetarian versions are available.

Last week, haggis makers heard the good news that they may soon be able to export their product to the US again. American authorities banned haggis imports in 1989 following Britain's BSE outbreak.

Diaspora Scots in the US are expected to help boost haggis sales yet further.

So, tuck in.