Burns Supper!

Though later than the actual date of Burns' birthday, Rachel & I thought we'd continue our annual FHE Burns night. Rachel had a lot of uni on Monday, and I had none, so after work I started baking & cooking for the supper. I made Clootie Dumpling first, as it has to steam for about 4 hours! I did take a break for lunch, and I entertained myself with my iPod, but I was baking pretty much all day! By the time Rachel came home, and she, our flatmate Victoria & I were ready to go, I'd made/ cooked: Haggis, Neeps, Tatties & the pudding. Phew!

I'll admit, it was a bit overwhelming, to be cooking all day long (made me appreciate what Patsy does for us every month A LOT more!). But it was all worth it, and everyone had a lovely time, and everyone enjoyed the food!

Since I'll be posting pictures of the pudding, I must just quote this passage from "A Christmas Carol" (by Dickens, of course) which was running through my head the entire time!

"Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing-day! That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook's next door to each other, with a laundress's next door to that! That was the pudding!"

For any reason, if you're interested, here are links to the other two years we celebrated Burns Night.
2012:
http://mairiglasgow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/burns-night.html

2011:
http://mairiglasgow.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/burns-supper.html

I have oodles of string/ twine, but couldn't find it, so I just tied a knot in the cloth: the pudding about to be boiled.

The pudding completed! 

Rachel - about to launch into a wonderful reading of "Address to a Haggis" (by Robert Burns, of course!).

The Haggis in question.

You can see the bemused and delighted expressions on everyones faces at the poem. 

More happy faces! Who doesn't love Robert Burns?!

Haggis! Yummy!

Tatties! (mashed potatoes).

Neeps! (mashed turnips/ swedes/ rutabagas).