The Healthy Butcher’s resident Haggis Master is Paul Bradshaw, the Head Butcher at our Queen St. store (his Haggis is available at all three of our stores of course). Toronto-born with Scottish roots, Paul learned the art of Haggis-making from Haggis Master Mike Dorward (multiple winner of the European Haggis Competition) in the town of Alyth, Scotland. Paul uses lamb lungs, hearts, kidneys and livers as the base, and then adds Berkshire pork fat, onions and toasted steel cut oats for texture.

The spices are a fairly simple blend of sage, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Instead of a stomach to pack everything into, Paul uses a beef or canvas casing and simmers it slowly at a low temperature. Paul says “the secret to good haggis comes more in the method of making it rather than the exact spice mixture.” After Paul’s encounter with Mike Dorward, Paul spent about two years perfecting his haggis recipe… personally I believe Paul’s haggis to be the world’s best (them’s fighting words!). It truly is delicious, with a nutty texture and savoury flavour. It has become so popular that Paul now makes and sells his haggis year-round. Last year, Paul, handmade and sold over 200lbs of Haggis in the month of January, and every ounce received raving reviews! This year, the target is 350lbs to set a new record in the Healthy Butcher Glasgow Book of Records.

Haggis is widely referred to as the national dish of Scotland, immortalized by the poet Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) in his poem Address to a Haggis (see below).  Robert Burns, also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, and in Scotland as simply The Bard, is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide.  Burns is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language.  On his birthday every year, Scots celebrate the poet with a traditional dinner of haggis served with “neeps and tatties” (meaning rutabaga or yellow turnip and potatoes, boiled and mashed separately) and a “dram” (a glass of Scotch of course!).  The Scotch part is probably the real cause for unending happiness on Burns Day.

Of course Scots don’t limit themselves to their national cuisine once a year; haggis is consumed year-round, swallowed piping hot from street vendors, or purchased frozen from grocery stores. Now, we should mention that there is proof that Haggis is much older than the nation of Scotland. For one, the Brits claimed to have created Haggis, to which most Scots reply “what’s next, did they invent golf and develop whisky as well?” There’s also evidence that suggests the Greeks and Romans both ate a version of haggis. As far as The Healthy Butcher is concerned, haggis is as Scottish as a dish gets.

Life doesn’t provide nearly enough opportunities to celebrate, so take the time to celebrate Robert Burns Day this coming Monday. Be sure to print out Robert Burns’ poem, recite it at the top of your lungs, and follow it up with a bite of quality haggis and a dram of single malt.