This short article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
The very first Burns dinner was kept in 1801, 5 years after the death of Scotland's precious poet, Robert Burns, setting a design template that's stayed mostly the same considering that: music, poetry, food, whisky. Held each year on or around 25 January (the author's birthday), Burns dinners typically start with a reading of his poem, Selkirk Grace, together with a soup such as cullen skink.
Next, a plate of haggis is paraded around the space, typically accompanied by a bagpiper, before existing to ‘the addresser', who then recites Burns's poem, Address to a Haggis. After a number of courses and lots of whisky-fuelled toasts in between, the night is settled with a rousing performance of Auld Lang Syne. Here's where you can participate:
Cullen skink, a standard Scottish soup acquires its colour and taste from smoked haddock, potatoes and onion.
Photo by Alarmy
The poet's preferred howff (haunt), The Globe Inn naturally makes a big affair of Burns Night. The 2025 occasion will consist of home entertainment led by piper Callum Watson, along with unique visitors from the Howff Club, a set of regional Burns lovers. There'll likewise be a five-course banquet with all the standard toasts, consisting of the Toast to the Lassies. 25 January; ₤ 65 per individual.
Meldrum House, Aberdeenshire
Provided its area, a mile from Glen Garioch Distillery, whisky is naturally a standout function of the events at Meldrum House hotel. There's a Glen Garioch mixed drink on arrival and a dram is served together with the haggis, which itself comes splashed in a sauce made with the distillery's Founders Reserve whisky. A Highland dance efficiency is followed by a vibrant ceilidh band. 24 and 25 January; ₤ 70 per individual.
Anticipate a twist on custom at the Ubiquitous Chip's Beyond Burns occasion, where entertainers from the National Theatre of Scotland will provide fresh analyses of the bard's works. On the menu there's venison haggis, hogget shoulder with mussel ragu and seaweed broth and Arbroath smokie mousse with quail egg. The night isn't an overall snub to custom, nevertheless– after supper, there's a ceilidh and a performance of Auld Lang Syne. 23 January; ₤ 80 per individual.
Prestonfield's walls house an interesting history, from its starts as a middle ages abbey to opening its doors as a hotel in the 1960s.
Photo by David Cheskin
Prestonfield House, Edinburgh
This hotel's whitewashed outside enters its own on Burns Night, when it's utilized as a canvas for a substantial forecasted picture of the poet to welcome visitors. The 2025 menu assures haggis with neeps and tatties, plus roast Angus beef with whisky-glazed carrots and, to complete it off, sticky toffee pudding with Drambuie butterscotch and clotted cream ice cream. Visitor speakers will consist of broadcaster Jay Crawford and historian Ian Landles. 25 January; ₤ 85 per individual.
Boisdale, London
Boisdale, the self-proclaimed ‘informal Scottish embassy in London',
