Cock-a-leekie soup
~
Haggis
with clapshot & whisky sauce
~
Cranachan
Inspiration
In putting together our menu, we have been inspired by traditional recipes dating back to the 1800s and one person who features prominently is Mistress Meg Dods, a character from Walter Scott's work St. Ronan's Well. Mistress Dods is said to have been modelled on Miss Marian
Ritchie, the landlady of the Cross Keys in Peebles.
 |
| Cross Keys, Peebles in 2006 |
In the
book Meg sets up and runs the Cleikum Club, an institution established to
foster high quality Scottish food and drink. The Cleikum Club is thought to be among the first organisations to celebrate a Burns'
Night.
Scott is also believed to have been instrumental in the
publication of one of Scotland’s most important culinary works, The Cook
and Housewife’s Manual, or Meg Dods’ Cookery, as it was commonly known.This was published in Edinburgh in 1826 under the pseudonym of Mistress
Margaret Dods.
The manual was supposedly compiled and written by Mrs Isobel
Christian Johnstone, an author of some note and wife of an Edinburgh
publisher although there is also a suggestion that Scott himself wrote it. Who ever the author was, the manual provides a written record of Scotland's culinary traditions, customs and national dishes. You can read it online here
Interestingly, while researching this, I came across lots of evidence that Scotland, and in fact Edinburgh is truly the spiritual home of supper clubs. According to Lord Cockburn:
"Early dinners begat suppers. But suppers are so delightful that they have survived long after dinners have become late... Almost all my set, which is perhaps the merriest, the most intellectual, and not the most severely abstemious in Edinburgh, are addicted to it... Supper is cheaper than dinner; shorter; less ceremonious; and more poetical."
Indeed, suppers were an important meal during Scotland's Age of Enlightenment and Edinburgh suppers were highly regarded.
With such wonderful history, the best way we can think of to pay homage to Scotland's greatest poet is to celebrate him with a traditional meal. We will be serving food cooked using recipes dating back to the 1800s, including our very own handmade haggis, sourced from the best Scottish ingredients.
Great chieftan o' the puddin' race!
The origins of haggis are perhaps controversial; apparently a recipe for haggis dates back as far as 1430 from Lancashire and there other dishes that resemble haggis dating
back to ancient Greece - Aristophanes described "a stuffed sheep's
paunch... with its rich contents of all sorts." Some suggestions are that the name haggis derived from the French hachis but it is more likely derived from hag - to chop (hack). Certainly there is no claim from France that the dish is theirs but whatever the origin, the humble haggis is beloved in Scotland as the national dish and was certainly popularised by Burns.
Oddly enough, haggis appears to provoke strong reactions from some with those of a 'sensitive' disposition choosing to ignore the origins of the dish. For our supper club, I will be making my version of traditional haggis with organic ingredients sourced from Hugh Grierson Organic, and to my mind is a proper mark of respect for the animal that fits in with my philosophy that we should use as much of an animal as possible.
For those of you coming to the Supper, we look forward to welcoming you for a fun celebration of the best of Scotland. If you're not joining us, then do check back for photos and a review!
