Whether you feel comfortable eating out in Edinburgh or prefer to stay at home and either order in or cook your own here are some of the top ideas for celebrating Burns Night 2022.
This is a long list of suggestions for dining in, dining out and ways to keep your party entertained during the evening. If you have more suggestions of how to celebrate the national Bard then please do add them in the comments section below.
Celebrate Burns Night with The Ivy on the Square
Raise a dram to Robert Burns in style at The Ivy on the Square, where guests will be treated to a limited-edition menu featuring some traditional Scottish favourites with an Ivy twist.
On Tuesday, 25 January, diners can enjoy a good helping of Scottish cuisine with classic Burns Night dishes, including a Haggis Neeps and Tatties Shepherd’s Pie, and the regular favourite Oatmeal-rolled Lathallan Haggis Bon Bons. For those with a sweet tooth, the menu also features a Hazelnut Praline Parfait.
Additional themed cocktails will be available alongside entertainment that will pay tribute to Robert Burns and his work. Get ready for some poetry, pipes and drams!
Cocktails include My Love Is Like a Red, Red, Rose (£9.75) a whisky lover’s twist on the classic Bramble cocktail with Highland Park 12 Year Old Whisky, lemon juice, sugar and a float of Crème de Mure; and My Heart Is In The Highlands (£12.75) a wonderfully indulgent champagne cocktail with Highland Park 12 Year Old Whisky, Grand Marnier & The Ivy Champagne poured carefully over a sugar cube soaked in Angostura Bitters.
To view the full menu and make a reservation, visit TheIvyEdinburgh.com
DINE AT HOME WITH ALDI SCOTLAND
Aldi Scotland has unveiled its Burns Night Specialbuy range, which includes Macaulay’s haggis for just 99p.
Available at all 102 Scottish stores from 13 January, Scots are guaranteed unbeatable bargains on all essential food and drink in honour of the country’s foremost poet.
Those looking for quality products at a fraction of the price will not be disappointed as Aldi Scotland’s everyday haggis range has both the traditional fare and a vegetarian option available for only 99p (offer available 13th – 25th Jan). While Simon Howie’s Gluten Free Haggis makes sure no one is left out of the fun for just £1.99.
The supermarket, which was awarded Multiple Fruit and Vegetable Retailer of the Year 2021 by the Fresh Produce Consortium, will also be launching an exclusive Burns Supper Super Six veg offering, complete with tatties, neeps and all the trimmings supplied by local producers from just 35p.
Customers looking for the perfect centrepiece to their Burns Night celebrations, can pick up a Specially Selected Chieftain Haggis for only £2.99 and no celebration would be complete without ‘tak’ing a cup of kindness’ and with multi award-winning Glen Marnoch 12 year-old Speyside Single Malt reduced to just £17.99 (offer available 13th – 25th Jan) Aldi has all the essentials covered.
Not a fan of the ‘Great chieftain o the puddin’-race’? No problem, Aldi Scotland has a fantastic range of both traditional and unique Scottish products available, including Punjab Pakora’s Iron Brew Pakora (£1.79) which is back on shelves due to popular demand. While those looking for a twist on Scotland’s national dish are spoilt for choice with Punjab Pakora’s Haggis Pakora (£1.49), Curried Haggis Bites by Simon Howie (£1.99) and Bell’s Steak and Haggis Pie (£2.99) all included in the retailer’s Best of Scotland range.
Order in from Edinburgh School of Food and Wine
Available for home delivery or collection on Friday 21, Saturday 22 or Tuesday 25 January 2022
Menu: Leek and Potato Veloute, Herb Oil and Crusty RollorBeetroot cured Sea Trout, Pickled Cucumber and Home-spun Oatcakes Crispy Haggis, Pickled Neeps and Buttered Mash Tatties with a Whisky Cream Sauce (Vegetarian or Gluten Free Haggis Option Available) Cranachan Cheesecake with Poached Rhubarb £30pp + £5 Delivery Charge or free collection
Delivery available to following postcodes only – EH1-17, EH28-30 & EH52
Heat at home instructions provided in box. Order online here.
M&S partners with Macsween
This January, M&S is introducing its Burns range as it celebrates ten years of partnership with family-run, Edinburgh-based haggis suppliers, Macsween.
With products in store now, customers have plenty of time to try their favourites and buy them in time for Burns night on 25 January.
Their range includes:
Collection Handmade Scottish Haggis, Neeps & Tatties with a Scotch Whisky Cream Sauce (£10): A nationwide supermarket first and a truly exciting creation for M&S, the new Collection Haggis, Neeps & Tatties will create a standout sharing centrepiece for a traditional Burns supper, or delightful Sunday lunch, serving four people. Looking more like a dish customers would see in a sophisticated Scottish restaurant, the mouth-watering stack is a layered gateaux made from traditional Scottish recipe haggis, mashed swede and creamed potatoes, topped with Scottish oats and herbs. It is handmade using Scottish grown potatoes, swede and onions as well lamb and beef from Scottish M&S Select farms and comes complete with a Scotch Whisky cream sauce.
M&S Haggis Cheese Bake (£4.50): Another completely new product to the UK supermarket scene, this one-of-a-kind hot cheese-based haggis dish oozes ’winter-warming’ vibes and is a great dish for those who are new to haggis. Made in Scotland by Castle MacLellan, using Macsween haggis, this Scottish cheddar cheese bake makes for a savoury, gooey treat and is best served with oatcakes or crusty bread for dunking. Bring that winter comfort food home.
M&S Haggis Scotch Egg (£1.50): A pub classic, and loved by the nation, a Scotch Egg makes any celebratory spread special, and now M&S is launching a Burns special. Made again using Scottish Macsween haggis, this limited edition is made by wrapping a free-range egg in a savoury mix of sausage meat and haggis and coating it in a unique Scottish oat breadcrumb mix.
And of course, M&S has a range of classic haggis options for everyone too, including the Traditional Haggis £3.50 (454g) or £6 (1.3kg), the Spiced Vegetable Haggis (V, VG) at £3.50 (454g), and the NEW Collection Original Recipe Haggis £7.50, made as an exclusive recipe for M&S by Macsween.
MORRISONS HAS IT COVERED
Morrisons is helping customers celebrate Burns Night on 25 January, with a selection of Scottish staples, a special bouquet and deals on bottles to raise a dram.
Highlights include:
- Glayva Liqueur – £12 down from £18 in Scotland until 25th Jan
- Laphroaig Islay Select Single Malt Whisky – £25 down from £33 until 25th Jan
- Scotch Beef Lean Diced Steak – £8.50 per k/g
- Burns Night Bouquet – £8
Burns Supper at Prestonfield
Prestonfield – Burns Supper in aid of Prostate Scotland
Priestfield Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5UT
Prestonfield’s annual Burns Supper, in aid of national charity Prostate Scotland, returns with the usual mix of fine wine, whisky, seasonal food and an impressive fundraising auction. Scottish broadcaster and actor Grant Stott will host the evening and introduce a number of musical surprises and guest speakers to ‘Address the Haggis’, ‘Toast the Lassies’ and ‘Reply fae the Lassies’, for a truly memorable evening.
Tickets cost £70 per person and include a welcome drink, three-course dinner with coffee and exceptional entertainment.
To book, call 0131 662 2323 or email events@prestonfield.com
Big Burns Supper is online
Big Burns Supper has announced its first-time collaboration with arts, cultural and social entrepreneurial organisation BE United for this year’s Eddi Reader’s Big Burns Supper, as it continues to bring diversity to the Burns Night stage.
Taking place online on 25 January 2022, Reader’s Big Burns Supper lineup will include BE United featured artist Sean Focus ‘Live’ who will perform his single Mullholland Drive for only the second time ever with his live band.
The only Scottish artist to be included in the of six UK acts on Amazon Music platform’s ones to watch in 2021, Sean Focus ‘Live’ is Edinburgh based and was born in Zimbabwe, his music comprises a compelling blend of afro-pop, hip-hop and dancehall.
Sean Focus ‘Live’ is just one of a collection of artists and performers supported by BE United, which advocates for, highlights, and celebrates Black, African and Caribbean, excellence in Scotland. Like Big Burns Supper, BE United is committed to taking Scotland’s artistic excellence outwith the central belt, and having grown up in Dumfries and Galloway, Executive Director Emma Picken is excited to be on board this Burns Night.
Taking place online on Tuesday 25 January, Eddi Reader’s Big Burns Supper is this year’s unmissable Burns Night celebration. Hosted by the supremely talented Eddi Reader and entirely free of charge, Big Burns Supper announce a line up of both big names and local talent spanning the full spectrum of music, comedy, poetry, performance, and prose.
Alongside headliners KT Tunstall, Skerryvore, Tidelines and Dervish, comedy circuit stars Ross Leslie and Richard Pulsford join homegrown musical talent from the likes of Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5, Amy Papiransky, Dumfries Community Choir, David Bass & Chazz, The Lucky Doves and Jack Hunter – as well as Sean Focus ‘Live’ – and Scottish TV presenter and of former captain of Glasgow Wheelchair basketball team Mark Dougan is even set to make an appearance.
For fans of Le Haggis, one of the most popular events in the Big Burns Supper programme since it began, this year’s Burns Night spectacular will unfold in a familiar fashion, with Eddi taking audiences on a cabaret-esque rollercoaster around the world. From KT Tunstall in LA to Dervish performing from lockdown in Dublin, this year’s Big Burns Supper takes Burns Night global once again.
KT Tunstall PHOTO Piper Ferguson 
Eddie Reader PHOTO Genevieve Stevenson 
BE United artist Sean Focus PHOTO papajgun photography 
Photo © Colin Gillen/framelight.ie
Burns Big Night in 2022
Conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland, has confirmed the performers who will be making its online Burns celebration – the Burns Big Night In – even bigger and better for January 2022.
Siobhan Miller, Laurie Cameron, Nevis Ensemble and Nae Plans will provide the music for the night. Janette Ayachi, Jenny Lindsay and Michael Pedersen will be bringing the spoken word to life with fresh interpretations of Robert Burns’s work and presentations of their own from Alloway, the birthplace of Robert Burns, on Saturday 22 January 2022. In the words of Michael Pedersen, it’s set to be “a whole gallimaufry of fantabulous poetry, music & lore”.
Tickets are on sale now at www.burnsbignightin.org
Siobhan Miller 
Michael Pedersen 
Nevis Ensemble PHOTO Tommy Ga-Ken Wan 
Nae Plans PHOTO Sam Hurt 
Michael Pedersen PHOTO Kat Gollock 
Laurie Cameron 
Jenny Lindsay 
Janette Ayachi
Edith Bowman presenter 
Caroline Smith Operations Manager, Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 
Burns Cottage, Alloway, Ayrshire. Angus Bremner 2005. National Trust for Scotland. 
Edith Bowman and National Trust for Scotland Learning Manager Chris Waddell, presenting Burns Big Night In 2021
A Burns Supper would traditionally consist of haggis, neeps and tatties but head chef, master forager and flavour expert at Buck & Birch, Rupert Waites has elevated the dish with foraged ingredients, wild game and a mound of sweet, sticky, braised red cabbage made with a generous glug of Buck & Birch’s award-winning elderberry liqueur, Aelder Elixir.
This recipe may seem a little daunting to make from scratch, but a butcher bought haggis will work just fine but don’t forget the Aelder Elixir braised cabbage – it makes all the difference!
FOR THE HAGGIS
- Beef bung for stuffing
- 500g toasted pinhead oatmeal
- 200g of well cared for, organic, minced pork fat or belly.
- 1.4kg wild game pluck (heart, lungs liver), ½ diced, ½ minced
- 500g of mixed wild game trimmings
- 100g finely diced onion
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped fine
- 1.5 litres game stock
SEASONING
- 6g juniper berries
- 6g dried coriander seed
- 2g ground mace
- 6g cracked black pepper
- 6g fresh thyme
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt to taste
METHOD
Toast the oatmeal and set aside. In a large pan fry the onion, garlic and dried spices until onions are translucent before adding the meat and browning for 5 minutes (some prefer to cook the meat first but this method keeps the finished haggis more juicy).
Add the oatmeal and ½ the stock and keep stirring, adding the remainder of the stock gradually until the oatmeal is al dente. Once done, season with lemon juice, fresh thyme and salt to taste.
Let the haggis cool before spooning the mixture into the soaked, rinsed ox bung. Be aware the filling swells as it cooks, so pack quite loosely, and keep a little bung at each end. When the haggis is the size required, expel any extra air, pinch, tie with string and cut with scissors.
Tie the new end of the bung, and continue stuffing. Freeze any spare haggis.
To cook the final haggis poach gently at about 83 deg c for half an hour to 45 minutes.
- FOR THE AELDER BRAISED CABBAGE
- 1 small red cabbage
- 1 sliced red onion
- 70g soft light brown sugar
- 70ml cider vinegar
- 100 ml Aelder elixir
- One large knob of butter
- Sprigs of thyme
Method
Quarter the red cabbage and remove the core, then finely shred. Tip into a large pan with the red onion, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Aelder Elixir, thyme and butter and season well. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid, lower the heat and cook for 1 1/ 2 hrs, stirring every so often. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 30 mins until tender and the liquid is reduced and glossy.
STREAM YOUR ENTERTAINMENT FROM NEW YORK
On 25 January the suggestion from NYC Tartan Week is to stream this entertainment from New York – but do be aware that the show will be streamed live at 7pm New York time. Burns Distilled is described as a heart-warming, funny and fast-paced telling of the bard’s story; punctuated with great whisky and fueled by music that will nurture the soul. The live-streamed event is being hosted by Andrew Weir who is a renowned Burns performer, Braveheart actor, and veteran whisky specialist.
Weir will be accompanied by a host of guest performers, including an incredible house band, comprised of some of the traditional music scene’s finest musicians direct from the orchestras of Broadway.
Guests can choose from two experiences – but sadly the second is only available to people living in New York as it involves a food delivery so you may have to combine the Streaming Ticket with your own cuisine and tipple.
The Streaming Ticket: Includes full online access to the live event, participation in all interactive event components, and a downloadable Burns Supper Experience pack.
The Full Experience Ticket (21+) : A Streaming Ticket + the delightful “Burns Supper in a Box,” which includes 4 Scotch whisky samples, a Glencairn whisky glass, a book of Burns poems, Haggis crisps, shortbread/cookies as well as commemorative program art and whisky tasting mat. The box will be shipped to addresses in the U.S (lower 48) ahead of the event. Ticket pricing includes shipping and handling.
For more information, visit www.burnsdistilled.com
Sadly we should be looking forward to Burns & Beyond beginning on Saturday 22 January, but in light of further Covid restrictions introduced before Christmas those plans have been postponed. New dates will be announced soon. https://www.burnsandbeyond.com
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
