2. Then the Grace follows. Traditionally, Burns's Selkirk Grace is used:
4. Chairman rises and invites company to rise to welcome haggis being piped in.
5. Once haggis is placed on table, chef and piper have drink then leave.
6. Address to haggis now given and company stand to toast haggis and it is cut open.
7. Company sit and meal continues.
8. Coffee served and Chairman announces an interval (usually 10 to 15 minutes), when company can relax before speeches etc.
9. Immortal Memory by speaker (average time 25 minutes approx).
10. Toast to the Lassies speech (no longer than 10 minutes).
11. Response to the toast (10 minutes).
12. Then usually an Appreciation of the Immortal Memory is given, (10 minutes). Some other toasts or speeches may now be given, depending on Chairman.
13. Now entertainment begins (songs and poems etc), after which the Chairman calls on company to sing "Auld Lang Syne".
NB. It is the Chairman's responsibility to arrange for short pauses between items, to enable catering staff to serve courses, drinks etc and clear away.
For food:
It is a normal menu except that the soup should be scotch broth or cock a leekie; a small dish of haggis is served with clapshot after the soup, i.e. before the main course. The dessert is tipsy laird or atholl brose (whipped cream, drambuie and flaked almonds topped with toasted oatmeal). Oatcakes and cheese are served before the coffee.
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1 stewing chicken, trussedPlace the fowl in a large pot with three or four of the leeks and the stock or water. If using water, add the bouquet garni, tied in a piece of cheesecloth. Bring to a boil, skim and then cook gently for 2 hours or longer, until the fowl is tender, when it should be removed. Clear off all the grease with paper towels. Add the remainder of the leeks cut into 1 inch lengths. Add salt and allspice to taste. Simmer very gently until leeks are tender. Half hour before serving, add the prunes. A little minced fowl may be added to the soup before serving it.
10 to 12 medium-sized leeks (about 2 lb), trimmed, washed and sliced
2 quarts beef stock or water
bouquet garni of 1 whole clove, 1 blade mace, 1 sprig parsley and 6 peppercorns (optional)
salt
freshly ground allspice
2 dried prunes
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1 lb potatoesCook the vegetables separately, drain and then mash them very well together, adding all the other separate ingredients. Season to taste and serve very hot.
1 tablesp. chopped chives or 4 shallots
1 lb. neeps (swedes in UK, white turnips in US)
1 heated tablesp. butter or dripping
salt and pepper
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Beat egg yolks and sugar together. Heat the milk to body temperature and stir in egg yolks and vanilla extract. When well blended, cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Pour it into the dish and leave it to cool and set.
Next day, beat the cream to a soft peak consistency and whisk in 2 tsp Drambuie. Turn the cream onto the layered pudding ingredients. Decorate with nuts and cherries.
(From A Feast of Scotland, by Janet Warren.)
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Pound or grind the almonds as fine as possible. Gradually add the sugar, egg whites, rose water, and almond extract, beating the mixture all the while until it becomes a thick paste.
Using a teaspoon dipped in ice water, drop little mounds of the mixture on the brown paper. They will spread while baking, so place them about 2 inches apart. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until puffy and delicately browned.
Remove the paper, biscuits and all, from the cookie sheet. Let it cool for a few seconds while you wring out a cloth in cold water. Lay the cloth out flat, and place the sheet of biscuits on top of it. After a few minutes the paper will release its hold, and you can lift the biscuits off to cool on a rack.
Repeat the process (with fresh pieces of brown paper) until you have used all the batter. Makes 2 dozen.
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