Great Chieftain O' The Puddin' Race
We celebrated Burns' Night a day late, but I cooked a haggis with cream sauce, neeps and tatties. And asked Alexa to play Scotland the Brave on the Bagpipes as I carried it to the table [for once, she obliged!] I have no idea what Burns' haggis poem means, and I suspect it might detract from my enjoyment of the meal if I did
I bought my McSween's haggis [serves 2-3] from Robertson's Butchers in Reepham. The butcher was very helpful and I have to say the flavour was excellent. I'd done rather a lot of veg, and we had much haggis left over, so I made two 'cottage pies' for the next day - neeps on the bottom, then haggis, then mash on the top.
The haggis is not usually considered a UPF, being made of lamb, beef, oats, stock, onion, salt, pepper and spices. No artificial colours or ingredients. One of the main ingredients of haggis is liver, which is
high in vitamin A, vitamin B12 and folate. Heart and lungs will provide some
iron, zinc and selenium and the oats included in haggis will contribute to
fibre intake. It’s important not to over indulge in haggis as it tends to be
high in fat and saturated fat as well as high in salt, so be mindful of the
portion size. It was a filling, warming dish on a cold evening. I may serve it again soon, but without the bagpipes! It is relatively inexpensive, and a good ZeroWaste food, using up the offal which is often discarded.
Have you ever eaten haggis?
Did you celebrate with a Burns' Night Supper?
We're not haggis eaters, although we have been known to have some when it is unavoidable!
ReplyDeleteI don't think i would serve it to guests without checking first!
DeleteDelighted to hear Alexa obliged. We’ve just invested in one to replace a very old Tamburg radio which has been repaired several times. Love being able to play BBC sounds whilst cooking.
ReplyDeleteYes, I’ve cooked and eaten haggis in the past. We had faggots from a local butcher the other day. A not unpleasant flavour (butcher very reputable) but one of those tastes from the past for sure!
Jill x
Not had maggots for years. I used to buy "Brains Faggots" in the supermarket, but the name was a bit offputting
DeleteGood to know, but I suspect maggots have a lot of protein in them!
DeleteNettie
Brains Faggots are my favorite food. We tried faggots from the butcher thinking they's be even better but they were not!
DeleteThe gravy is so good in the frozen ones.
JanF
I have only tried Veggie haggis. It was nice. We sang Loch Lomond in Singing Assembly this week so it was quite topical!
ReplyDeleteThat must have been fun
DeleteI can't understand most of the "Ode to a haggis" but I know Burns was extolling the idea of eating local food - well ahead of his time on that one!
ReplyDeleteIndeed he was
DeleteWe bought ours at Aldi, reduced price because they weren’t selling. I froze half for another day, and served it with swedey mashed potatoes, red cabbage and gravy. Delicious. There is a game butcher locally who makes perfect faggots, and another who sells sheep's hearts to stuff and bake. I learned how in school cookery lessons.
ReplyDeleteThrifty, old fashioned, tasty food.
Not sure i could cope with stuffed sheep's hearts. But Hugh FW says "if you are going to eat meat, you should aim to eat it all" As a nation we are not very good at offal-eating anymore. I won't even think about tripe!
DeleteI never cared for Haggis but I love Mealie Pudding which is the non-meat part of Haggis: just oatmeal, suet, onions and seasoning steamed for a couple of hours. Sold in the shops as White Pudding it's one of those flavours that transport me back to childhood . It's an excellent accompaniment to Roast Chicken.
ReplyDeleteI have seen that on breakfast menus alongside black pudding, but never tried it. It does sound tasty though. I love steamed suet puddings
DeleteMy son uses haggis a lot, a favourite meal being ‘spag hag’, a sort of ragu made with haggis and tinned tomatoes. For a local haggis you need to go to Rutlands in Melton Constable - they have them all year round (sometimes they only have frozen). Tell them I sent you! Nicky
ReplyDeleteThank you Nicky, next time I am near MC I shall try and call in. I have heard from others that Rutlands are an excellent butchers
DeleteOh, and a good recipe to try is flying Scotsman - chicken breast stuffed with haggis and wrapped in bacon and roasted at 180 for around 45 mins. You can make 6-8 from a small haggis, and they freeze very well
DeleteThat sounds fun
DeleteHaven't had haggis and don't like liver, kidney, or brain, but, I do like heart, tongue, and tripe. :)
ReplyDeleteI watched my uncle eat tripe once, and decided I didnt like it - but admit that I never actually tasted it!
DeleteRabbit and I share the same birthday and eldest granddaughter is the day before so a full birthday weekend was had. I was taken out for lunch on Sunday by my eldest and his wife to a French bistro so I had Croque Monsieur instead of haggis,neeps and tatties! McSween's do a lovely veggie haggis. It's offally good. Did you have Cranachan for pud?
ReplyDeleteWe did not have cranachan - I had an apple pie in the freezer which I wanted to use up!
DeleteGlad you enjoyed your haggis. I sometimes but Simon Howie or McSween haggis to make haggis bonbons which make a lovely starter. Norrie doesn’t like haggis at all so that’s why I can make the bonbons from the veggie version. Catriona
ReplyDeleteHaggis BonBons sound delightful
DeleteIt sounds very nice, don’t think I’ve tried it, it’s nice to have some celebrations in winter.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
Good ribsticking, heartwarming meals!
DeleteThat’s brought back the memories. I’ve had haggis and loved it. I, too, used to buy Brain’s faggots. I think they changed their name before we left England but I can’t remember their new name. I have bought faggots from a British butcher here in Canada and they were good, but not as good as Brain’s. Stuffed sheep’s hearts are delicious and so are sweetbreads but I will never try tripe!
ReplyDeleteThey seem to be called Mr Brain's Faggots now. Faggots and Haggis are the limits of my offal eating I think. No tripe, no sheeps hearts and definitely no andouillettes
DeleteI put haggis along with faggots which OH loves and I willingly cook for him but cannot bring myself to eat them. When we were first married he would eat tripe (shudder), I did cook it for him but after a while said even though I love you cooking tripe wasn't in the wedding vows! Xx
ReplyDeleteOne has to draw the line somewhere š¤£
DeleteI've often wondered what haggis tastes like. I haven't seen any in the store, but then I wasn't looking for any, either.
ReplyDeleteRich and meaty
Delete