Traditionally a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns.The first suppers were held in memorial at Ayrshire at the end of the 18th century by Robert Burns’ friends on 21st July, the anniversary of his death.
Suppers are now normally held on the poet’s birthday, 25th January, sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night, more common in Scotland, but recent years have seen a surge in Burns’ Night celebrations in the UK, with Nottingham being no exception.
You may have read our review of the Adams Restaurant exceptional Burns themed tasting menu last week. There were also themed menus at many of the Castle Rock Pubs, and also the Falcon at Canning Circus, which I where we visited to toast the Haggis.
On the corner of Canning Circus, the Falcon was purpose built as a pub and the layout has never been changed. When you walk in the impression you get is of a typical charming English Pub, complete with a crackiling real fire.
We are offered seating upstairs or down. We choose to sit upstairs in their dining area. The pub generally focuses on simple bar snacks and Sunday lunches, with the kitchen normally open between 12-5pm offering home cooked style Sundays Roast Chicken or Roast Beef £8.95 served with roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy with a Vegetarian option at £8.95 or pulled pork sandwiches with Fairground onions £5.00 plus a selection of home made desserts.
A traditional Burns supper would include soup, haggis – a traditional Scottish dish celebrated by Burns in Address to a Haggis, a Scotch Whisky, and the recitation of Burns’s poetry.
Typically grace would be said, usually using the Selkirk Grace, a well-known thanksgiving said before meals, using the Scots language
The Selkirk Grace
‘Some had meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae let the Lord be thankit.’
The supper starts with a soup and this is no exception. We order the Cullen Skink (£5.00). Skink is a thick Scottish Soup made of Smoked Haddock, Potatoes, and onions. Recipes have slight variations, such as the use of milk instead of water or the addition of single cream. If you’ve never tried Skink, it has been described as ‘smoker and more assertive than American Chowder, heartier than classical French Bisque’.
Cullen Skink
Traditionally it is served with bread, which again the Falcon got right. Personally I felt it was a little thin and could have been reduced down more, but there was plenty to mop up with the generous helping of thick fresh white bread, a little salt and pepper added once reduced that way left a tasty vegetable and fish mix in the good size bowl, which was a meal in itself.
Traditionally next would see the “Piping” of the haggis. Everyone would stand as the main course is brought in. There would then be the ‘Address To a Haggis’
The whole address is far too long to include but does refer to hurdies (buttocks) like a distant hill. At the end of the poem, a Scotch Whisky toast is proposed to the haggis, with the diners then sitting down to the meal.
Served traditionally with mashed potatoes (Tatties) and mashed turnips (A Scottish ‘turnip’ is an
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
English ‘Swede’), Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animals stomach and simmered for approximately three hours. Most modern commercial haggis is now prepared in a sausage casing. Maybe it’s because I think too much about what’s in it but I don’t like haggis. There was nothing wrong with the haggis at the Falcon, their bangers and mash style Haggis with Neeps and Tatties (£7.75) was presented well and the Neeps and Tatties were lovely but I personally it’s not for me, my companion on the other hand thoroughly enjoyed it, he interprets the taste as being like kebab! whereas as to me it’s very earthy and irony.
A Dessert course, cheese courses, coffee etc may also be part of the traditional meal. I had intended to have the Cranachan Scottish Trifle (£4.50) but I was full, though did manage a final coffee before leaving, and if you fancied it, when buying two courses, the pub was offering a Scottish malt for £2
Traditionally the meal would end with a Toast to the Lassies and Laddies so we’ll take this opportunity here at NottinghamLive to toast our friendly hosts at the Falcon for their fab food and hospitality and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
