Burns Night: Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, and the all important Scotch

A Portrait of Robert Burns.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Burns.jpg
Source: "Bibliothek des allgemeinen und praktischen Wissens. Bd. 5" (1905), Englische Literaturgeschichte, Seite 55
(This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1923.)

Today, 25 January, marks an important date in the Scottish calendar ... the Bard's birthday.

And in true Burns Supper fashion, tonight we will be having some friends over to celebrate the life, words, and spirit of Rabbie Burns.

We will be having haggis (purchased from the exceptional Hills Butchery, easily Australia's best Scottish butcher), mashed neeps and tatties, with a creamy whisky sauce. Followed by a rather decadent chocolate brownie made with Glenfiddich 15 Year Old (this Scotch smells delightfully like Christmas pudding), and served with whipped cream and boozy raspberries.

So grab a glass, and raise your Scotch to the "Great Chieftan o’ the Puddin-race!" and to the man who wrote the words of the immortal Auld Lang Syne.

And, if you're like me, you will use this as an excuse to do some Scottish family history research! I've already had a look at the National Archives of Scotland's 'The Legacy of Robert Burns' page ... which I discovered when I went on to scotlandspeople.gov.uk to check how much credit I had.