Host Your Own Burns Supper!

Let’s talk about Burns Night and Burns Suppers. As you may already know this is one of the most important holidays on the Scottish calendar. The evening’s activities celebrate the life and works of Robert Burns. The national poet of Scotland. Famous the world over for his poems and songs that celebrate love and living a life of simple honestly and intent. 

Burns Night is held on January 25th, Rabbie Burns’ birthday. It’s maybe the very best time to embrace your Scottish heritage and have some fun.

Now, there are several “moving parts” to a Burns Supper. But actually it’s not that hard to host one. Burns Suppers can range from small intimate gatherings to fancy formal dinner parties. 

For this video, we’re going to go over what happens at a Burns Supper with a focus on hosting one in your own home. This information should also be handy if you plan to attend a Supper hosted by a local organization such as the Saint Andrew's Society. 

To start, here's a checklist of what you’ll need:

1. Haggis

2. Scottish music

3. Some Burns poetry to recite including his ‘To a Haggis’

4. Whisky

5. Tartan for decorating

Burns Night revolves around one thing - food. But you probably already knew that. You’ll want to purchase a haggis - the main course of the dinner. Now, if you’re a creative cook, there are several recipes online for home-made haggis. Most call for easy-to-get meats like ground lamb instead of the more traditional offal (organ meats such as sheep's lung). If you’re state-side and decide to purchase a haggis, we recommend using The Scottish Gourmet.

The rest of the dishes for the dinner are relatively easy to make. A starter of soup is usually part of the meal. Consider either Scots Broth or Cock-a-Leekie. 

Neeps and tatties is basically mashed potatoes and mashed turnips. Whisky sauce is similar to a holiday gravy. And really you can serve any green vegetable you like as a side. We suggest green beans in a little butter. Dessert is also up to you, but a great tradtional sweet like shortbread or Clootie Dumpling is best. 

The dinner will always be served with whisky. Firstly because it is a natural complement to Scottish cuisine. Second, and more importantly, you’re going to be drinking several toasts with it. This can be any Scotch you prefer. Or consider having more than one so your guests can have a choice. We suggest offering one peaty, like a Isla, and one sweeter and more floral like a Highland. If you have first-tiome whisky drinkers, ofer them something mild.  

To start, let's talk about the music. No Burns Night is complete without the sound of bagpipes. Having a piper welcome the guests and escorting them into the dining room really sets the mood and gets the blood moving!

Wait...you say you don’t know any bagpipers? Don’t sweat it. This is where your playlist of Burns Night music will come in handy. Have some rousing pipe tunes playing while guests await the beginning of the festivities. Or you can play some relaxing Scottish folk music for a while, then blast a pipe tune to announce that it’s time to get started. There are several collections of Burns’ own songs available for purchase online. You'll find plenty of options on Spotify and Youtube.

After everyone is seated, the Chairman (ie. the host...ie. most likely you!) welcomes everyone formally with a few words about why we love Robert Burns and how this is a special night. When all is quiet, you or a friend, will recite or read the The Selkirk Grace.

The Selkirk Grace

This prayer, also known as the ‘Galloway Grace’ or the ‘Covenanters’ Grace’ is said to have been delivered by Burns at a dinner given by the Earl of Selkirk on St. Mary’s Isle. It goes like this…

   Some have meat and cannot eat, 

   Some cannot eat that want it;

   But we have meat and we can eat, 

   So let the Lord be thankit.

If you’re really daring, you can choose to use the Lowland Scots version...

   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

If you’re not doing this yourself, nominate someone who can really speak with a lot of moxy. Howvever, no matter how tempting it may be do not try to affect a Scottish accent as this can come off as patronizing or mocking. After the grace, the guests can enjoy their soup course. 

Now it’s time for the guest of honor, that is the haggis, to make its entrance. If the gathering has a piper present, they will lead the procession followed by someone carrying the haggis on a platter. And often a third person will follow carrying bottles of whisky. Again, if you don’t have a piper you can simply play some pipe music as the haggis is paraded in. It’s fine if your guests hoop, holler and applaud upon seeing the dish brought in with all the regal pomp.

Now for the real highlight of the event. Also perhaps the most challenging

One lucky diner gets to deliver their rendition of ‘To a Haggis’.

We suggest you choose someone well ahead of the day so they have time to practice. If they are unsure about doing the performance, it’s okay if they read the poem, but even if they choose to do that, they will need to be confident enough to do the accompanying pantomimes and really put on a show.

Watch this video for more on the Address to the Haggis and to hear it performed by a pro. 

So, the pantomime can include calling out members of the audience to represent characters in the poem. Pretending to burp. And sniffing the aromas of the haggis. And, most importantly...cutting open the Haggis. If your presenter does nothing else, they at least MUST do this bit. 

At the end of the poem, The presenter will raise his whisky and lead the crowd in  a toast the haggis. Usually just “The Haggis!”

Now the meal can continue and servings of the delicious main course doled out. 

Toasting a big part of a Burns Supper. You can intersperse these toasts during the meal. Perhaps between courses. Or you can wait until dinner is over and give the rest of the evening over to toats, drinking, singing and dancing. 

Either way, the first and most important toast is known as the Immortal Memory.  The chairman, or a designated speaker, delivers this as a serious, heart-felt toast that reflects on the life and art of Robert Burns. It can be a whole speech if you like. Perhaps a short bio. Or a talk about a specific work that has inspired you or feels relevant to the guests.

This speech should be long-winded enough to remind your guests that this isn't the office Christmas party. But not so long as to induce yawns.

At the end, everyone stands and raises their glasses to “the immortal memory of the Bard of Ayr.”

Things lighten up again now with the Toast to the Lassies. Burns was a great lover *ahem*. Yeah...um...we can talk about that some other time. Suffice to say, the bard truly loved the lasses and it has become customary to raise a glass to all the ladies present at the Burns Supper. 

In times gone by, this included thanking them for cooking the meal. But of course now things are more flexible. Usually it’s a gent who delivers this toast. If you have someone game to try it, and it fits well with the flow of the evening, you can also have your toaster recite a few lines of one of Burns’ love poems. 

As a new piece of tradition, a woman in the crowd will respond to the Toast to the Lsssies with a “toast to the laddies”. 

These toasts can be as romantic or as blue as you like. USUALLY leaning towards the bawdy side. There’s sure to be a few laughs.

Burns Night wouldn’t be Burns night without a good old sing-along or a recital or two. You can basically do this by having designated performers. Or as more of an open mic night. One easy idea is to have a volume or two of the Burns’ work handy so you can pass them around.

A couple of popular selections are ‘A Man’s a Man’ and ‘Parcel O’ Rogues’.

For added cuteness, you might even have some kids try reading a poem such as ‘The Sair Finger’ or ‘Jenny Wi The Mumps’.

If poetry recitals aren’t your thing, you can always fall back on having those wonderful Burns songs playing on the stereo. And dancing is always encouraged!

Finally, there is one last tradition to uphold. No Burns Supper is complete without the guests joining hands to sing Auld Lang Syne. Usually this is done at the very end of the evening, just like New Year’s Eve.

With everything we’ve gone over there’s just one last burning question. And we know you’ve been wondering about the whole time...what do I wear???

Naturally we encourage you to wear the kilt. But even this is not a hard and fast requirement. And we feel that’s important to say because you may have some guests who are worried about what to wear...how formal they have to be...how “Scottish” they have to look, etc. Non-Scottish women can feel very nervous about this, we have found.

As we mentioned, a Burns Supper can be as formal or informal as you like. If you’re attending one, check to see if the hosts have set a dress code like “Black tie” or “Jackets and ties required” (in other words suit-level nice). But a less stuffy Burns supper, say at a pub, is probably going to be very casual or a mix of casual folks and people who have decided to kilt up or dress up just for fun.

For your own Supper, you get to set the level of dress. Do what feels right for you and your friends. Remember that Robert Burns himself was a very down-to-earth gentleman. We recommend going at least “date night nice”. If you’re donning the kilt, this is a great time to pair it with some tweeds, or coordinating wool tie. For inspiraiton, check out our Tweed Sets and Kilt Packages!

If you want to decorate for the occasion, we are proud to offer several Celtic Home Decor items. 

There is nothing quite like Burns Night. It’s a rich mix of tradition, deep emotions and just plain fun. However you choose to do it - make it your own. You’ll be making memories for yourself and your loved ones that will last a lifetime.