Haggis – Great Chieftain o’ the puddin’- race

Haggis, is there any other food that enjoys such grand celebrations and tributes. Or the stark contrasts of being a favourite snack, breakfast or even deep fried at the local chippie. This weekend Scots all over the world will unite to celebrate Burns night and the haggis will be central to the festivities

Award winning Scottish haggis makers, Macsweens have been using family recipes that have remained unchanged for 60 years. Over time new innovative products have been developed and the range has expanded to include vegetarian, venison, and a wild boar haggis. It’s still very much a family business with son James and daughter Jo Macsween continuing to bring haggis to a new generation of haggis lovers.

When it comes to cooking I’ve always been a bit of a purist,  preferring the traditional dish of haggis, neeps and tatties. But haggis has enjoyed an explosion of popularity, new recipes have evolved and the humble haggis is now cooked in a wide variety of dishes. It’s ideal in a variety of cuisines, Mexican nacho’s, Spanish tapa’s, Indian pakora and Italian lasagne. It even has it’s own bible, the Macsween Haggis Bible, a collection of over 40 recipes by Jo Macsween. Looking through some of the recipes it seems like haggis could be the new mince.

We started our Burns celebrations with a selection from Macsweens; an original everyday haggis, venison haggis and for extra flavour, the whisky cream sauce.

I served both the traditional way rather than cook with other flavours. The venison haggis, infused with port, juniper, redcurrant and spices was my favourite and very different from traditional varieties I’ve tasted. Definitely a winner and all the family gave it top marks. Something different, delicious and worth trying.

 

The original everyday haggis was moist and delicious, perfectly spiced with a nice texture. The rich and creamy whisky sauce was an ideal accompaniment and added a nice finish to both haggis.

I would use the original everyday haggis in other recipes and it would work well in recipes such a nacho’s, pakora, or as a topping for baked potato. An inspiring collection of recipes can be found on Macsweens website

 

Disclaimer. Thanks to Macsweens for providing the haggis for this post.