The newspapers here have been full of freebies for Burns night. I have CDs of sing and book of poems and I don't know all what. Anyone want?

We knew we were going to be away from home for Burns Night (actually, leaving the next morning as it turns out) so we decided to do a very Burns-ish Hogmanay party instead, complete with a couple of pipers (two of them in a small room - gets your attention) and laid in some Irn Bru for the (early) morning after. Man is that stuff toxic.

Have a great supper!

CDs? Of what? It is nice to be reminded of Scotland.

Burns songs, Nikki

Sheila,

You were so helpful in our trip planning to Scotland almost 10 years ago--wow, it can't be that long ago.

I just did a search for Robert Burns before I posted a new message. We want to have a party this year with our original group that traveled to Scotland and came up with your post. Would love to have some music and any ideas for what to include in the evening.

Thanks for any help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-G...&v=jXH9DVS76yM you could always try and download some Eddie Reader stuff, she really is very good (used to be in the band Fairground attraction)but does more scottish and folky stuff these days.I have been lucky enough to see here several times in concert.

Haggis, neeps & tatties

. . . and single malt whisky

Here's a starting point for planning a Burns Night - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_supper

In our Burns Suppers, we normally limit the haggis content to a starter course, comprising either a store-bought 1-lb haggis, or something haggis-like home-made. In the US, if you have a "British Pantry" or some such store around, fine, otherwise I've been known to use a combination of ground lamb, a little lamb or beef liver, lots of toasted oatmeal and lots of seasoning to make something of a meatloaf, then either put it in a baking bag or wrap it in parchment paper, then roast. It does well when stabbing time comes around, but the reekin' is thankfully limited. For most non-Scottish palates, a little haggis goes a long way.

We make clapshot instead of tatties and neeps - equal quantities of mashed carrots, mashed potatoes, and mashed turnips (or better and more colorful, rutabagas - "Swedes" elsewhere.) It's lighter and fluffier, a good counterpoint to the haggis. Some kind of gravy is also required.

Typically we'll have four courses - Haggis/clapshot, then cock-a-leekie soup, then a main course of something like roast beef, salmon or Roastit Bubbly-jock - turkey - with sides like potatoes, sprouts, etc., or, as a Glasgow wifey/waitress at a rubber chicken business dinner told me once, "Peas is compulsory."

We have a dessert course, served after the poetry, songs and drunken insults have subsided. If you're not interested in making a clootie pudding (good plan) then just some ice cream with a splash of Drambuie over the top works, or maybe just skip the ice cream part.

The key is the whisky - you want people to be lubricated enough that reciting dirty poetry* won't cause embarrassment, so designated drivers or a stockpile of sleeping bags are necessities. In my case, my sober good wife excels at nursing her wrath to keep it warm.

Slaighte!

* For example http://www.dgdclynx.plus.com/poetry/poets/nine.html

you just have to go for the Clootie Dumpling, my 85 years old mum still makes it for the family, it is a real art and tastes superb.
If you want a main course that includs haggis try Chicken Balmoral, chicken breasts stuffed with haggis wrapped in bacon and seved with a whisky cream sauce................. as near to heaven as I am likely to get.

We also wanted to do a Burns night at our house this year, but may wait until next year. Do the shops in Scotland sell any invitations that are specific to Burns night? I could have my in-laws buy me some if that is the case.

Be careful on Burns Night!

When my daughter was an American student in Edinburgh, she decided to give a Burns party rather than just crawling the pubs and ending up at the chippy.

The nice young man from her Gaelic class made such an impression in his kilt and with his ability to recite all the toasts and much of the poetry that they have now been married for about xx years!

Did the whisky have anything to do with it? Only they can say!

BTW, the next Burns night is on Friday 25th Jan 2013 - not, as some might think reading the above, 31st December 2012

[not suggesting that any of the above posters got this wrong, but as I was reading it, it occurred to me that anyone who didn't know better might make this mistake].

"<i>Did the whisky have anything to do with it? Only they can say!</i>"

More likely the kilt

Sorry, not been around much.

OK; starting with the food, you would traditionally have Cock-a-leekie soup. Let me know if you need a recipe.

The main course is haggis, neeps and tatties. Macsweens make the best haggis, but I think there's an issue about importing it to the US. Please don't buy tinned stuff- ghastly. There must be a solution. Neeps; is what we call turnip, the English call, swede, and I think you may call it rutagabo. You peel the vegetable, cut it into large chunks, and boil it. Do not let it turn into mush. It should still be firm when you mash it. I'm not a big fan, but add butter and lots of pepper and it's good to go. Potatoes, are just ordinary mashed potatoes.

Pudding would be trifle. Always.

OK. That's the menu. More about the structure in a minute

Do the main stores in Scotland sell Robert Burns dinner invitations for people hosting dinners?

Don't think so,Amelie. Let me look....

OK. I found some.

http://www.delights.co.uk/seasonal-c...FefMtAodn3gAgw

http://www.delights.co.uk/seasonal-c...FefMtAodn3gAgw

http://www.delights.co.uk/seasonal-c...FefMtAodn3gAgw

If you use the one that says "och Ay, the noo" I'll never speak to you again!!

So, you get all your guests gathered at the table. Your seating plan should ensure that the person who will address the haggis is at the head of the table. Bring in the soup, and someone says the Selkirk Grace.

Once soup is finished, you need a piper to pie in the haggis. It's carried by someone is kitchen whites, preferably wearing an old fashioned toque- the sort that flops over. The person carrying the haggis is Poosie Nancy. Poosie Nancy puts the haggis in front of the addresser, and someone gives the piper a dram, preferably from a quaich.

The Addresser then recites the Address to the Haggis (incidentaly, here the big butchers will give you a big fancy haggis for the purposes of being addressed). At the line "and cut ye up wi' ready slicht", the addresser cuts open the haggis. Ideally, the addresser should learn the poem off by heart. More later.

So, then you eat your dinner; and then someone toasts the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns.All the speeches should be light. If any is to be serious, it should be this one. It should talk about Burns and what a gey lad he was, and... etc etc. Drams should be put on the table to everyone can toast as they go along.

Next, someone, traditionally a chap, toast "the Lasses". Then someone, traditionally a lass, replies.

That is really it. When I was young in big gathering, we toasted the "Strangers here amang us" as well, and that was replied to by a visitor.

Does that help? Keep it light; keep it short, and if you can, keep it funny.

Thanks for the suggestions, Sheila. Sounds like it should be fun. Spent the morning doing some research so think I have an idea of what to include.

Any other thoughts or suggestions, anyone? Is anyone else have a party? If so, we'll toast you, too.