With the English invasion by Scottish MPs now complete, haggis is well and truly back on the menu. Many a person recoils at the word 'haggis' much like Davy Cameron recoils when the name Nicola is mentioned….however there is much myth and misinformation about this famous Scottish dish.
The haggis is a varied beast, with many different recipes behind it which change from place to place and upon the availability of ingredients and the type of meat available. Traditionally, and perhaps the reason why many recoil squeamishly, haggis is made from a sheep’s ‘pluck’; heart, liver and lungs, encased in a stomach lining and combined with vegetables and, of course oats. It is normally then boiled.
For those of you too squeamish for this, an exciting and scrumptious alternative exists. Macsween Haggis have developed a range of vegetarian haggis' (Moroccan Spiced, '60 second' microwaveable and the disc shaped 'haggis in hurry') which I sampled. Initially I really didn’t know what to expect – in some ways veggie haggis seems like the ultimate oxymoron.
For those of you too squeamish for this, an exciting and scrumptious alternative exists. Macsween Haggis have developed a range of vegetarian haggis' (Moroccan Spiced, '60 second' microwaveable and the disc shaped 'haggis in hurry') which I sampled. Initially I really didn’t know what to expect – in some ways veggie haggis seems like the ultimate oxymoron.
Starving when I arrived home I went first with the Moroccan Spiced, rustling up a mayonnaise, haggis and coriander salad wrap using it. Quite the success; the haggis had a wonderful texture, somewhere between mincemeat and falafel. Flavour-wise, the haggis is jam packed with vegetables, seeds and pulses – a veggies dream and super yummy.
Next up came the “haggis in a hurry” – which I did with a fry up of eggs and bacon. The 'carby' grains in the haggis provided a great alternative to bread in my normal breakfast- it served as a perfect base and good mopping tool for my runny yolks. I can see this would also work great with some avocado and feta on top as well.
Finally, I tried the traditional 'done in 60 seconds' haggis. I used the Macsween Haggis Bible book for inspiration and made haggis stuffed courgettes with sauce vierge. I split my courgettes, spooned out the seeds and stuffed with the haggis. The courgettes were topped with feta and drizzled with olive oil and grilled for 15 minutes. Delicious and devoured in about 10 seconds flat by my carnivorous family!
It’s not difficult to see why this great selection of products has won accolades such as the Great Taste Gold award. I really was taken aback by how much I liked this and the number of recipes I found myself considering it for. I say – let the Scottish invasion continue!
http://www.macsween.co.uk/
Available online or in most major supermarkets.
Available online or in most major supermarkets.
Written by Erin Goodall, FoodGoblin Northern Correspondent
