Warm the rumbledethumps. Season the cullen skink. Steam the haggis and prepare the clootie dumplings. Burns Night, on January 25, is almost upon us.
Those who do not wish to cook — nor address the haggis themselves — might visit any one of these London restaurants, all of which are putting on a Scottish dinner in celebration, or are at least serving Scottish or Scottish-inspired fare to pay homage to the great nation.
The Connaught Grill
The five-star Mayfair hotel has promised to make the best use of Scotland’s bounteous larder with a five-course menu from executive chef Ramiro Lafuente Martinez. Courses include smoked salmon, a traditional glazed haggis, roast Highland venison with mashed potatoes, and cranachan, made with Scottish cream and oats. The menu may be paired with whisky from Aberfeldy Distillery (wines will be available too), and, for those who can’t make Burns Night proper, all is available à la carte between January 19-25.
The Walthamstow taproom and events space near Blackhorse Lane puts on regular parties and dances and is to host a huge Burns Night bash in its beer hall. There’ll be space for more than 1,000 on each night, with five ceilidhs planned and a dinner on Sunday. Expect a live band, a traditional caller, and Gaelic dances alongside bagpipes, plenty of Scotch whisky and haggis, neeps and tatties. January 21, 22, and 25.
Holly Farrier
The Gladwin brothers, who own various restaurants across town, including Sussex in Soho, will be hosting a Burns Night dinner on January 24, bringing whisky cocktails, a two-step Highland fling and a bagpiper to the restaurant. On the menu will be mushroom Marmite eclairs, a Portland crab doughnut, sourdough bread with smoked cod’s roe, and a lamb and sweetbread Wellington with salt-baked, truffled potatoes. And haggis, which will come with all the classic trimmings, before cranachan with honey and an oat crumble.
The Grill at the Dorchester reopened towards the tail end of last year under the stewardship of executive chef Martyn Nail and head chef Jacob Downs. The menu gets off to a strong start with a cocktail made with Glentrurret whisky, before cullen skink with smoked haddock and soda bread, Scottish beef carpaccio with blackcurrant dressing, or Blackmount goat’s cheese with beetroot and heather honey. Elsewhere on the menu are the likes of Loch Melfort trout with rumbledethumps (like bubble and squeak) and a crispy hen’s egg, an Isle of Mull cheddar and potato pie, and venison with haggis, neeps and tatties. January 23-26.
The west London institution Julie’s is putting on an evening of Scottish food and drink in its famously plush and storied dining room. Dishes include a lamb belly and haggis Scotch egg, crispy langoustines with black pudding, and a traditional haggis with neeps and tatties. For pudding, there’ll be a clootie dumpling (a steamed pudding made with dried fruits, suet, sugar, and spices) alongside whisky ice cream. To drink, the restaurant will serve plenty of Scottish whiskies and, for the exceptionally revelrous, an Irn Bru daiquiri. All to the sound of bagpipes and a jolly rendition of Tom o’ Shanter. January 19-25.
There are three pubs within the Wren group, the Walmer Castle, the Surprise and the Carpenter’s Arms. All are putting on a Burns Night show, with cocktails, craft beers and Scottish dishes available à la carte. Expect the likes of cullen skink, haggis, neeps and tatties, and a raspberry cranachan infused with Scotch and honey. There’ll be regular bagpipe performances — check when you book — and every evening will kick off with a traditional address to the haggis. January 19-25.
Few Burns Night dinners sound as ridiculous as the one at Ria’s Pizza, which is putting on a blowout feast at both its Soho and Notting Hill restaurants. The menu begins with haggis pops before moving on to a “deliciously filthy” haggis, neeps and tatties pizza pie, served in the restaurant’s Detroit style. And dessert? A deep-fried Mars bar with Irn Bru ice cream from soft serve maker Big Kid. You’ll need a whisky cocktail or two to wash it all down, we expect. £35 per head is a January-friendly price for sure. January 19-25.
She will hide
The Ceilidh Club runs regular ceilidhs in the capital throughout the year and has been doing so since 1998. And so expect a proper Burns Night celebration with plenty of Scottish folk down in London, with a night of jigs, reels, poetry, haggis, bagpipes and serious trad music. A live caller will guide guests through the evening and it would be imprudent not to sing Auld Lang Syne at the top of your voice at the end of the evening. Throughout January, with the main party on January 25.
Britain’s most famous Indian restaurant group is to serve a Scotland-inspired limited edition breakfast special from January 19, in all restaurants and Permit Room cafés. The haggis pau has been created in honour of Burns Night, with richly spiced pork haggis served in buttered pau and layered with fried eggs, bacon, honeyed chilli chutney, cream cheese and coriander. It sounds pretty good for £12.90. Until February 13.
Giacco’s and Emily Skimming
One of London’s most talked about kitchen spaces, Giacco’s, will welcome Morchella pastry chef Emily Skimming for a Burns Night feast, tapping into her Glaswegian heritage. She is to collaborate with current chef-in-residence Josh Dalloway to create a Scottish-Iberian menu, with dishes served “family-style”. There’ll be takes on haggis, neeps and tatties, a Portuguese version of cullen skink, and cock-a-leekie pie before a warming whisky baba. January 25.