Best Haggis In Scotland: Here are the tastiest types of haggis to serve on Burns Night - according to the Golden Haggis Awards and other food prizes
![It's traditional to eat haggis on Burns Night - and there's plenty of choice out there.](https://www.scotsman.com/webimg/b25lY21zOjc2MjA3MzA1LTlmMWYtNGRmMC1hYzAwLTMxN2FjMjU5Yjc0ZDozNjJjZmE1Yi00YzcxLTQyNDQtOTQ2OS1hYzY1MjM5MWU2MDc=.jpg?crop=3:2,smart&width=640&quality=65&enable=upscale)
![It's traditional to eat haggis on Burns Night - and there's plenty of choice out there.](/img/placeholder.png)
Haggis is the central part of a traditional Burns Supper that is held on Robbie Burns’ birthday on January 25 – although the first was held by the poet’s friends at Burns Cottage on July 21 to mark the fifth anniversary of his death.
Popularised by Scotland’s National Bard the 18th century, he referred to it as that ‘great chieftain o' the puddin-race’ in ‘Address to the Haggis’, the poem now read out when the haggis is brought to the table and cut.
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Hide AdServed alongside neeps and tatties, the dish is made from the liver, stomach or heart of sheep or cows – mixed with onion, oatmeal and suet before being boiled in the animal’s stomach. Nowdays there are also numerous vegetarian options for those wanting to avoid meat, with other variants for vegans and those with a gluten intolerance.
Every year, awards are given to the best haggis produced in Scotland. In advance of Burns Night, here’s the haggis that’s wowed the culinary experts in the last 12 months.
Golden Haggis Awards
The Golden Haggis Award sees haggis makers from all over Scotland fighting it out in the cask room at Oban Distillery for the coveted title every December.
The 2022 awards were the first since 2019 after the awards were forced to take a break due to the global pandemic and two awards were handed out – the main award and the People’s Choice award.
The main award was judges by local chefs John McNulty from Etive Restaurant and David Anderson from Number 17 Restaurant.
The winner was Grants of Taynuilt.
Second place went to Forsyths’ of Peebles.
Members of the public had the chance to taste and cast a vote in the People’s Choice Award.
The winner was Grants of Taynuilt.Second place went to McCaskies, Wemyss Bay.
Other haggis that attracted votes from the public were:
John Saunderson, Edinburgh.Forsyths of Peebles.The Buffalo Farm, Kirkcaldy.The Farmers Son, Auchtertool.
Great Taste
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Hide AdGreat Taste is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme, with food and drink given the once-over by a panel of over 500 experts.
Recommended products get a one, two or three star rating. Here’s which haggis was recommended in 2022, and how many stars were awarded.
Macsween of Edinburgh: Macsween Delicious Every Day Haggis (two stars)
Macsween of Edinburgh: Macsween Haggis In A Hurry (two stars)Simon Howie Foods: Original Haggis (two stars)Macsween of Edinburgh: M&S Original Recipe Scottish Haggis (one star)Macsween of Edinburgh: MacSween Traditional Haggis (one star)Macsween of Edinburgh: Macsween Vegetarian Delicious Every Day Haggis (one star)Ramsay of Carluke Ltd.: Gluten free Haggis (one star)
Aberdeenshire Larder: Venison Steak & Haggis Wellington (one star)
The Blagdon Farm Shop: Northumberland Haggis (one star)Highside butchers: Highside Haggis (one star)
Scottish Retail Food & Drink Awards
A total of 140 outstanding Scottish food and drink products made it onto the shortlist for the Scottish Retail Food & Drink Awards 2022.
The products were chosen by more than 50 expert judges after more than four weeks of intense judging and included the following haggis products:
Macsween of Edinburgh: Delicious Every Day Haggis
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Hide AdMacsween of Edinburgh: Delicious Every Day Vegetarian Haggis
Macsween of Edinburgh: Gluten Free Haggis
Macsween of Edinburgh: Vegetarian Haggis In A Hurry
Macsween of Edinburgh: Marks & Spencer Scottish Haggis
Macsween of Edinburgh: Marks & Spencer Scottish Spice Vegetable & Lentil Haggis
Scotbeef: Marks & Spencer Scottish Haggis, Neeps & Tatties with a Scotch Whisky Cream Sauce
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