Burns Supper in Northern Thailand

“Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' yet tak your place,” (Robert Burns, To a Haggis)

I was greeted with vacant looks after my shaky rendition of ‘To a Haggis’. To be fair, I’m not really sure what half of it means myself. “Sonsie Face” - what the feck does that mean? Our home made Thai haggis went down well, a couple of people even had second helpings. There were eight of us for dinner and one wee yin (Luca is two years old). Everyone had a good time; we had beers and “100 Pipers” whisky, Thailand’s answer to Scottish cooking whisky (Bells, Teachers that kind of thing). Got a bit of a sair heid the day though.

I’m sure everyone can’t wait to try out our Veggie Haggis recipe.

• 8 small onion, peeled & finely chopped


• 15ml/1tbsp olive oil


• 4 carrots, very finely chopped


• 1 ½ cups of yellow beans (kind of like lentils)


• 3 large cups Quaker breakfast oats


• 600ml/1 pint stock


• cup of ground peanuts


• cup of ground cashew nuts


• 2tbsp (soy sauce)


• Juice of 2 limes


• 2 spoons of ground black pepper


• dash of chilli sauce


• Bunch fresh holy Basil (thai)


• A generous shot of whisky

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190C, 375F or Gas Mark 5
2. Sautee the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Now add the lentils and three quarters of the stock.
4. Add the nuts, soy sauce, lime juice and seasonings. Cook everything, well mixed together, for a further 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Then add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little extra liquid if necessary.
6. Turn the mixture into a lightly oiled 1lb loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Serve with mashed neeps and tatties.