A Veggie Haggis for a Burns' Night Feast!

Veggies don't  have to miss out on the highlight of a Burns' Night Supper on 25th January, thanks to a simple, delicious, alternative haggis recipe from The Vegetarian Society's Cordon Vert School.

The birthday of Robert Burns, the well-known Scottish poet, is 25 January, and it has become traditional to gather for a meal on, or near, this date, with haggis as the main dish. A highlight of the meal is the Address to the Haggis, a mock-heroic poem by Burns which is recited with great gusto, culminating in slashing open the sausage-like haggis bag. True haggis is a concoction based on meat but the recipe below allows you to enjoy a veggie version of this traditional meal.

Haggis is traditionally served with neeps and tatties (mashed swede and mashed potatoes).

A typical menu would be:

Cock-a-Leekie Soup (as this is based on chicken, try our Extra Special Leek Soup)

Haggis served with neeps and tatties (mashed swede and mashed potatoes)

Cranachan - a traditional dessert made with toasted oatmeal, raspberries, cream and whisky (vegans might like to try Raspberry Tofu Dessert)

Coffee

Various toasts are proposed during or after the meal, normally in the form of whisky, and the meal may be followed by a programme of songs, poems and dances.

McSween, who make a vegetarian haggis approved by The Vegetarian Society, have full instructions on how to organise a Burn's Night Supper on their website www.macsween.co.uk/

Vegetarian Haggis

Ingredients

100g/4oz onion, peeled & finely chopped
15ml/1tbsp sunflower oil
50g/2oz carrots, very finely chopped
35g/11/2 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
50g/2oz red lentils
600ml/1pint vegetable stock
25g/1oz mashed, tinned red kidney beans
35g/11/2 oz ground peanuts
25g/1oz ground hazelnuts
30ml/2tbsp shoyu (soy sauce)
15ml/1tbsp lemon juice
7.5ml/11/2tsp dried thyme
5ml/1tsp dried rosemary
generous pinch cayenne pepper
7.5ml/11/2 tsp mixed spice
200g/8oz fine oatmeal
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas Mark 5

2. Sauté the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes.

3. Now add the lentils and three quarters of the stock.

4. Blend the mashed red kidney beans in the remaining stock, add these to the pan with the nuts, shoyu, lemon juice and seasonings.
Cook everything, well mixed together, for a further 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Then add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little extra liquid if necessary.

6. Turn the mixture into a lightly oiled 1lb loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes.

7. Serve with mashed neeps and tatties.

© The Vegetarian Society 1997, Feeding the Imagination; The Vegetarian Society Cookbook