Countdown to Burns Night

Burns Night on January 25 is the perfect way to get people in to the bar at a quiet time of the year.

But many bar managers are put off the idea of a Burns Night supper because they think it is complicated. It’s not.

So each day this week we’re giving TS on how to out a simple but fun and profitable Burns evening.

First up: the food

If you’re of the view that fiddling about with haggis is a step too far, and if you don’t know what you’re doing you could end up giving your customers food poisoning, then think again.

It’s true that addressing the haggis in a bad Scottish accent isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but serving food shouldn’t be an obstacle to putting on a great night.

The starter

Go for Scottish smoked salmon with toast.

Haggis, neaps and tatties

This is a ridiculously easy and cheap (and therefore profitable) meal to serve. And good supermarkets will sell haggis, and all you need to do is boil it in the bag. Simple. There is a very tasty vegetarian option for the faint- hearted. Go to the trouble of boiling fresh parsnips and potato and mashing the parsnips with pepper and butter, and the potatoes with butter and milk.

Too much?

There are no rules saying you have to do anything on Burns night, so customize it to suit yourself. Then why not serve individual beef and onion pies with mash and gravy, and/or venison sausages.