Vegetarian Burns Night Menu (2024)

FAQs

What do vegetarians eat on Burns Night? ›

Vegetarian Burns Night mains

Combine lentils, earthy mushrooms, oats and plenty of spices to create a veggie centrepiece worthy of any Burns Night celebration. Serve with golden neeps & tatties or try something a little more experimental.

Main course: Haggis, neeps and tatties

Love it or loathe it, haggis is the dish at the heart of Burns Night. Try this simple recipe for haggis, neeps and tatties and follow our guide to buying and cooking the perfect haggis.

While there is no formal greeting for Burns Night, people generally say “Sláinte Mhath” to one another. This is pronounced “slanj'-uh va” and translates as “Good Health!”. You can also say “Oidhche Bhlas Burns”, which means “Happy Burns Night”. These could be fun messages to include in your designs.

Speaking of drinks, it wouldn't be a proper Scottish celebration or Burns Night without the mention of whisky. A staple part of Scottish culture, having a glass or two of whisky to celebrate is a must.

Cranachan. A classic Scottish dessert, cranachan is a beautiful medley of double cream, toasted oats, raspberries, honey and a great big slosh of whisky. It's the perfect ending to a Burns Night feast.

A cooked haggis Haggis, neeps and tatties on a plate. At the end of the poem, a whisky toast will be proposed to the haggis, and the company will sit down to the meal. The haggis is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed swede turnip (neeps).

Well, “neeps” is just the Scots word for swede – that hard winter vegetable that people also use in soups and stews. You might also hear Scottish people saying “nips”, which is much more obviously short for “turnips”. It's a hard job to peel and chop the neeps, and then we boil and mash, then add a bit of seasoning.

To start – everyone gathers, the host says a few words, everyone sits and the Selkirk Grace is said. The meal – the starter is served, the haggis is piped in, the host performs the famous Burns Night haggis poem Address to a Haggis, everyone toasts the haggis and the main meal is served, followed by dessert.

Traditionally guests of a formal Burns Supper would wear Scottish Highland Dress, but these days anything goes. To save on buying new, kilts can be rented. Or, for a more affordable option, check out what's being sold on sites like Vinted or Facebook Marketplace as you can often find barely worn options.

After the meal, the speeches and entertainment begin in earnest, starting with a toast to the monarch, known as the Loyal Toast. This is followed by the main toast of the night, to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns. The Immortal Memory should be a heartfelt toast to his life and works.

What dish is served at Burns Night? ›

Haggis, Neeps And Tatties

If following the standard running order of Burns Night, a haggis will be ceremoniously brought to the dining table before being addressed in a poem and cut open with a knife. Haggis is a savoury pudding consisting of sheep's pluck, minced onion, oats, spices, and stock.

Although not readily known, vegetarians and those who didn't eat dairy foods or eggs had to register with their local Food Office in order to be issued with a special ration book. So whenever they went to collect their rations, they were given more eggs, cheese and nuts, instead of meat.

Roasted vegetable skewers.

Try mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, peppers, even mini red potatoes!