Hae a healthier Burns supper this year, an’ let the Lord be thankit.

25.1.20

Celebrate the life of the famous Scottish Bard this January with a slightly healthier twist on three traditional favourites and don’t forget to address the haggis!

“Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin’-race!
Aboon them a’ ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o’ a grace
As lang’s my arm.”

To start: Healthy Cullen skink

A healthier take on an all-time favourite Scottish soup. This fish broth is an ideal cockle-warming appetiser to get you ready for your haggis, neeps and tatties.

Ingredients

500g Scotty Brand potatoes
2 smoked haddock fillets, (skinless and boneless)
135ml water
1 onion
1 pint semi skimmed milk
25g low fat spread
ground black pepper, to taste

  1. Wash, peel and dice potatoes. Place in a large pan with boiling water and cook until soft, approximately 20 minutes.
  2. Peel onion and chop finely.
  3. Place the haddock in a medium sized frying pan with enough water to cover it, no more. Bring to the boil and add the chopped onion, then turn down the heat and simmer gently.
  4. When the haddock is cooked, separate the flakes using a fork. If they don’t separate easily a little more cooking is needed.
  5. In a small pan, bring milk to the boil and then add this to the fish.
  6. Drain potatoes, return to the pan then add low fat spread and mash using a masher or fork until smooth.
  7. Stir potato into the fish, to thicken the soup and add black pepper to taste.

For full recipe click here  https://www.scottybrand.com/recipe/healthy-cullen-skink/

Main Course: Haggis, neeps and tatties Let’s face it – Scotland is perhaps not best known for its healthy cuisine, if battered mars bars are anything to go by. However, the traditional dish of haggis, neeps and tatties has more health benefits than you might think!

Haggis – Although some might not like to think about its contents too much (it’s sheep’s liver, heart and lungs in a stomach lining, by the way) the lungs and liver are surprisingly high in vitamin A, B6, B12 and C.

Neeps – These, of course, will count towards one of your five a day and are the healthiest part of the meal.

Tatties – Packed with vitamin C, B and potassium, tatties can also be a healthy addition to the meal as long as you go easy on the butter in the mashing process. An even healthier alternative would be to stick with boiled tatties.

Pudding: A lighter take on the famous cranachan

A famously indulgent way to end your Burns supper. This lighter alternative substitutes out the créme fraiche for a half-fat alternative and includes some almonds for added crunch.

  1. Put the oats and almonds in a large non-stick frying pan and dry-fry over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until light golden-brown. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
  2. Pour the double cream and crème fraîche into a large bowl and add the vanilla extract, whisky and honey. Whisk with an electric whisk until floppy peaks form. Don’t over-whisk the cream as it will stiffen further when mixed with the oats.
  3. Put half of the raspberries into a sieve over a clean bowl and press with a ladle to make a vibrant pink purée. Discard the seeds. Sweeten the purée with the sugar to taste.
  4. Set six tall glasses or tumblers on a tray. Put a spoonful of the whipped cream and whisky mixture in the base of each glass. Sprinkle half of the oats and almonds and half the whole raspberries on top.
  5. Drizzle over half of the raspberry purée. Repeat the layers once more. Keep the layers as loose as possible. You can assemble all the ingredients well ahead of time but make sure you serve the puddings as soon as they are layered.

For full recipe click here https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cranachan_20683