The best way to cook haggis, neeps and tatties to celebrate Burns Night. 

What is Burns Night?

Burns Night is a commemoration of the life and work of Scottish poet Robert Burns. A celebratory supper is held each year on 25th January — this typically includes haggis, Scotch whisky, and a recital of Burns’ poetry.

What are haggis, neeps and tatties?

Haggis is Scotland's national dish. Traditional haggis contains lamb’s ‘pluck’ (heart, liver and lungs), beef, oats, onion and spices. Traditionally, the minced mixture was encased in an animal stomach, but now it's usually synthetic.

Haggis is often served with mashed swede or turnips and potatoes (neeps and tatties), especially for a traditional Burns Night meal. But variations of haggis are commonly incorporated into the meals of Scots all year round, including burger patties and pizza toppings.

Temperatures

Ensure the haggis reaches 75° and should be held at this for at least 30 seconds.

Best Way to Cook Haggis

Haggis is usually purchased pre-cooked and needs to be reheated. You can do this by boiling, baking or microwaving it. The best way to cook haggis is to wrap it in tinfoil and gently simmer it in a pot for around 45 minutes. 

To cook a haggis in the oven, start by wrapping it in tinfoil again. Place it in an ovenproof dish and pour in about 1 inch of boiling water. Cook at 180 °C/ 160 °C fan/ gas mark 4 for around 1 1/2 hours. 

To cook a haggis in the microwave, remove the meat from the skin and empty into a microwavable container. 

Add a little water, cover, and heat on full power for two minutes. Stir and heat for a further minute and a half. 

Whichever method you choose for cooking your haggis, it's important to ensure the meat reaches a safe temperature. Food laws in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are slightly different to Scotland. So the recommended cooking temperature on your haggis may vary depending on where it was made. In Scotland, reheated food should reach 82 °C. In the rest of the UK, it should reach 75 °C for 30 seconds. 

Ingredients

Burns Night Recipe:

Serves 4

• 800g haggis
• 1kg turnips, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• 100ml milk
• 80g unsalted butter

Directions

• Remove the outer packaging of the haggis, but don’t remove the tight casing.
• Wrap the haggis tightly in foil.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Gently place the haggis into the pan and reduce to a simmer.
• Gently simmer the haggis for around 45 minutes before probing the centre with your Thermapen. If it has not reached 75 °C throughout, continue to cook for a little longer. But ensure to cover the probe hole with fresh tinfoil to prevent water from getting into the haggis.
• Meanwhile, place the potatoes in one pan and the carrots and turnips in another. Simmer in salted water for 20-25 minutes until soft.

• Drain, leave them in their separate pans for a few minutes to allow the moisture to evaporate, then mash.
• Warm the milk and half of the butter in a pan until the butter has melted. Stir into the mashed potato and season. Stir the remaining butter into the carrot and turnips and season, ensuring to retain some texture.
• Split open the haggis with a sharp knife and serve with the neeps and tatties.