It’s that time of year again when haggis is put on a pedestal and poems are dramatically read in Scots before the haggis is sliced open and served with neeps and tatties for Robert Burns night. Haggis is great and if you want to partake in a burns supper this year or want to make haggis for any other day of the year then read on (please do).
Haggis, a lot better than it looks (or sounds)
Most people have heard of Haggis and those who try it, tend to love it! Yet, you do not need to go far over the border to England to see it suddenly drop off of menus. Even within Scotland, it is not regularly used at home (apart from a fry up) unless it’s Burns night where haggis neeps and tatties are everywhere and then forgotten about for another year.
The ingredients for haggis is a major challenge for most people who didn’t grow up eating it. Fortunately, haggis is heavily spiced so if you like the flavours of pepper and the texture of porridge then you have nothing to fear.
The great news is that vegan haggis is amazing and easy to make at home. With carrots, oats, lentils and onion, it is hearty (without the heart parts) making for a filling meal as a side or as the main event.
Haggis is very versatile and pubs have not held back on the experimentation; you might find haggis pakora, bon bons, burgers with haggis on top, balmoral chicken, haggis pies and pizzas topped with haggis. I plan to share many ways to use haggis in future posts as the possibilities are endless.
If this has inspired you to get inventive, then find the link to the vegetarian haggis recipe at the bottom of this post.
Which haggis to buy
There aren’t many options when it comes to haggis. In Scotland you can find it in most supermarkets – but it is often worth checking out your local butchers to see if they do it as it is likely to be even better. For me, the best brand in the supermarket is Macsweens both for meat and vegan / vegetarian haggis. Both come wrapped in a plastic skin resembling a large sausage.
Although it is a banned import in the USA, I have come across a tin clad in red tartan with ‘Haggis’ in bold and an unappetising mound of what looks like dog food pictured on the front. If you are in the USA, please don’t buy that – I recommend making your own or finding out if somewhere stocks imported macsweens vegetarian haggis.
The best option is just to make it yourself. It’s much healthier, you know what is going into it, you can make it as spicy as you like. Vegetarian haggis has less flavour than the real stuff and I personally think the added seeds and hard lentils in macsweens isn’t a good representation of the texture of real haggis which should be smooth and not crunchy.
Fortunately, I’ve got you covered!
Vegetarian haggis recipe
