Four favourite Scottish dishes for an ideal Burns' Night

It's that time of year again when the folk of Scotland break out the whisky and enjoy a wee dram, toasting the country's national bard and recite the few lines that they may remember from one of his many poems (I only remember the first verse of 'To a Mouse' and I regularly recite it during this day, much to the annoyance of everyone around me). The obvious culinary choice, of course, would be the famous haggis, neeps and tatties that Burns so famously praised - I love this dish, not only because I have to, but the flavours in a good haggis are really hard to beat. Plus, if it's not on my Full Scottish breakfast on a Saturday morning, it ruins the entire weekend. As much as I love it and recommend it, I'm fancying something a bit different this Burns' Night - and if you are too, this blog post is for you. Here are my four favourite Scottish dishes (a couple of these may not be considered 'dishes') for this day.

The man himself. 

1. Drop Scones

Also known as Scotch Pancakes - these wee beauties are absolutely delicious. Thicker and denser compared to the usual pancake, Drop Scones can be very filling and suit dinner as much as they suit breakfast (this might just be me being childish). The good thing about this dish is it only takes about 20 minutes to make - and you can have whatever toppings you like. I'm a bit boring so I like some lemon and sugar over mine - but a good dollop of natural yoghurt topped with blueberries and honey also proves pretty popular.

Here's a good recipe for them: http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/droppedscone.php

2. Venison Sausages

For me - the perfect alternative to haggis. Unsurprisingly, a lot of folk can be a bit squeamish about our national dish, so a good, meaty venison sausage is an excellent substitute while remaining as Scottish as you can get. Pop to your local butchers - for me, in Edinburgh, I would always recommend Crombies on Broughton Street, and get the freshest sausages you can (in a good butchers, they'll always be fresh). Cook them under the grill and serve them just as you would a haggis - with neeps and tatties.

Here's a link to Crombies of Edinburgh: http://www.sausages.co.uk

3. Roasted Salmon Fillet with slow cooked Red Cabbage

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Salmon is a hugely flavourful and easy to cook fish and is, vitally, abundant in Scotland. Fillets of salmon are always on sale in any Scottish fishmonger - simply roast a seasoned fillet for 15-18 minutes at 180C and you'll have an brilliantly flaky, flavourful fillet of fish. Plan ahead and slow cook your red cabbage for about 6 hours and you have a hugely impressive, delicious and quintessentially Scottish dish. Always good with some buttered new potatoes too.

4. Scottish Cheese Platter

Now, if you read my review of I.J. Mellis (see here), you'll know that I have a soft spot for cheese. In fact, the more cheese I eat, the softer the spot gets (the spot is my belly). So it's no surprise that I enjoy a good cheese platter. Burns' night is a celebration, and what says celebration more than cheese? you had some at Christmas, you've finished with the New Year diet now, so get some cheese down you. But which to pick? Here's what I'd recommend:

• Isle of Mull Cheddar - a strong, chalky, slightly bluing hard cheese - this cheddar has an unbelievable flavour with a slight whisky finish (due to the cows feeding off whisky grains from the local distillery). A mainstay for any Scottish cheeseboard. 
• Clava Brie - it's always a good idea to have a variety of textures and flavours in a cheeseboard, and the Clava Brie from Inverness-shire is the Mull's opposite. Soft, creamy and light yet flavourful - Clava is not like most imitation Bries. When ripe, I actually prefer it to its French cousin (Brie de Meaux). 
• Auld Reekie - this cheese is a smoked version of the Cambus O'May from Aberdeenshire, so behind its excellent smokiness lies some sour notes and a crumbly texture. Goes perfectly with a number of whiskies, which certainly suits this day. 
• Lanark Blue - quite possibly the best cheese ever made, this ewe's milk cheese from Carnwath is based on the famous Roquefort and it does not disappoint. Strong, salty and a crumbly texture - this blue is a great one to finish off with. If you're not a fan of a strong blue - go for the Dunsyre blue. 
• Bonnet - Completing the cheesy dream team, we have a hard goat's cheese from Ayrshire (so perfect for Burns). This one is quite mild for a goat's, but it still has a lovely sweet, nutty flavour to it. 

If you don't forget to pick up the oatcakes and red onion chutney while you're there, you will have a perfect party dinner for tonight. 

So there we have it, some great alternatives for a great day. Let me know if you give any of them a go.