The perfect Burns Night menu

Thea Everett

Deputy editor (audiences) Thea loves to be in the kitchen and has a particular interest in cooking on a budget and deep frying. She thinks Sri Lankan and Indian food is the food of the gods. Discover her recipes and tune in to our Instagram feed, which she runs on a daily basis.

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Celebrate Burns Night on the 25th of January with a meal fit for the famous Scottish bard. Set the mood with bagpipes (or simply opt for a Spotify playlist) and host your own Burns supper: a fitting celebration of the life of Robert Burns, or Rabbie Burns as he is affectionately known, held on what was his birthday. The meal traditionally features haggis, neeps and tatties (swede and potatoes) and a dram of whisky is non-negotiable.

We’ve put together our perfect Burns Night menu below, but for more Burns Night menu ideas check out our collection of recipes.

How to throw your own Burns Night celebratory feast

There are many ways to celebrate Burns Night, from traditional ceilidhs to poetry recitals, to simple dinner parties with friends. Before the meal, the ‘Selkirk Grace‘, a poem written by Burns himself, is traditionally recited:

“Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.”

It’s then time to eat!

To start…

Fire up your tastebuds with smoked salmon and dill pâté on blinis. This light starter that will tempt you for course number two, and is perfect with a glass of something sparkling.

Alternatively, some like to start the meal with a light soup. Our traditional cullen skink recipe (a Scottish fish-based soup) is a great way to kick things off.

The main event…

You simply can’t celebrate Burns Night without the classic haggis, ‘neeps and tatties’, aka mashed potatoes and swede. A rich whisky sauce is an ideal accompaniment to this flavourful dish too. Serving up food for veggies? Don’t worry, there are plenty of vegetarian haggis options available in supermarkets – we particularly like the Macsween variety.

Alternatively, you could try chicken Balmoral – a dish traditionally served with lashings of creamy whisky sauce. Enjoy with creamy neeps for the ultimate accompaniment, along with savoy cabbage and oatmeal.

And for dessert…

End a heavy dinner with something fruity and most importantly Scottish, of course. These cranachan puddings, made with cream, whisky, oats and fruit, are traditionally made with fresh raspberries; but the coulis in this recipe is a good winter alternative to the summer berry pudding.