Celebrating Burns Night – the M&S way

The Burns Supper is one of Scotland’s most famous and long-lasting food staples – you can’t go wrong with haggis, neeps and tattis.

In recent years, we’ve seen the arrival of the vegetarian haggis on the market, providing an alternative to the usual fare.

However, this year, M&S are offering a mixture of the old and the new, with not just the classic haggis, neeps and tatties, but also a delicious Balmoral chicken, to celebrate our National Bard.

A new addition this year is M&S Food Haggis, Neeps and Tatties en Croute, which is pastry-encased perfection. The haggis is perfect formed into a circular shape, with the neeps and tatties sitting on top of it, and it’s all encased in a delicate filo pastry.

It may sound wrong, as several people commented on Scottish Field’s Facebook page, but trust me, this is a perfect meal parcel. The haggis cooks through beautifully, with a wonderful, well-seasoned flavour, while the mashed carrots, neeps and tatties on top are superbly flavoured – not to strong or buttery, and are just right. It all blends well, and the pastry only adds to it with an extra texture.

Haggis Encroute from Marks & Spencer

The parcel comes with a creamy whisky sauce, which is easily heated up in boiling water – it’s really, really beautiful, and marries perfectly with the haggis.

My daughter in particular loved the filo pastry – lovely and brittle, without being too solid.

This year, M&S continues is partnership with James Macsween, for their signature haggis. It’s a partnership that has been running since 2012.

And no wonder. This is a haggis that you can’t stop eating. As I was desperate to get feasting on it, I heated it up in the microwave and noticed absolutely no difference from being over cooked. And this is my kind of haggis – it’s got that unique taste, which is hard to describe, but the text of it is wonderful and just leaves you wanting more. This is a damn good haggis.

Chicken Balmoral has been a favourite of mine for a good few years now – how can you possibly go wrong with a succulent chicken breast, topped with haggis? Well, M&S have gone one better than that – not only do you get what you’d expect, but this time it’s wrapped in rashers of bacon. It’s a quality piece of meat, and the coupling with the fine haggis is just

We completed our dining with some side dishes, which were the perfect accompaniment. The mash is creamy without being buttery, and the other mashed vegetables, carrot, turnip and potato, is wonderfully light, and could be eaten on its own, it’s that full of flavour.

This could become the new Burns Night tradition in my house.

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