Burns Night Calculator — Haggis & Whisky

Allow 150-200g of haggis per person for a main course. For a starter, 80-100g is enough. A 1.8kg haggis (the most common supermarket size) serves about 8-10 people. For larger gatherings, buy multiple haggis rather than one very large one.

The traditional order is: Cock-a-leekie soup (starter), Haggis with neeps and tatties (main course with whisky sauce), Cranachan (dessert), followed by cheese and oatcakes. The haggis is piped in and addressed with Burns' poem before serving.

For the toast to the haggis and the Selkirk Grace, one dram (25ml) per person is sufficient. If serving whisky throughout the evening, plan 2-3 drams per person. A standard 700ml bottle gives 28 single measures. Have a blend for mixing and a single malt for sipping.

Neeps are turnips (swede in England), mashed with butter and pepper. Tatties are potatoes, mashed with butter and cream. Allow 150g of neeps and 200g of tatties per person. Both should be well-mashed and seasoned. Some add a tablespoon of whisky to the neeps.