A guide to cooking haggis

Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish that was once viewed as the food of the poor as it was made of the leftovers of other food, but is nowadays one of the main dishes of Scotland.

It should be noted that cooking haggis is not for the faint hearted and the squeamish. It may seem like a peculiar dish to work with but it is a delicious and wholesome meal that more than makes up for the initial difficulty cooking it.

Knowing what you are dealing with when you are cooking haggis

Haggis is comprised of sheep's 'pluck' (the heart, lungs and liver) with a mixture of onions, oatmeal, spices, salt, suet and stock. It is traditionally cooked in the stomach of the animal but a casing will suffice if you don't have any sheep stomach's lying around.

Potatoes and turnips are essential in the meal and should definitely be added. These are called 'neeps and tatties' in Scotland.

Try to find a good, spicy haggis from a local butcher or, if abroad, order from Scotland. It travels well and will keep in the freezer for 6 months or for a month.

Best ways of cooking haggis

If you want to serve the haggis as a main course you should ideally aim for between 150-200grams.

You can cook the haggis either in the pan or in the oven, depending on personal preference

You can use the pan by bringing a pan of water to the boil. Once you put the haggis in the pan, turn the heat down straight away. The water should only simmer as boiling can cause a 'murdert haggis' - when the case bursts. You can place the haggis in foil to protect from bursting. The length varies on the size of your portion but a good rule of thumb is 1kg of haggis takes about one hour 15 minutes.

To use the oven it should be pre-heated the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 6. Remove the outer packaging and prick the haggis with a fork. Wrap the haggis in some foil and place this is a baking dish with a little water and cook for one hour.