Burns Night 25th January
This is a big Scottish celebration of the Scots poet Robert Burns (25th January 1759 – 21st July 1796). He wrote poetry and songs in both Scots and English, his most famous Scots language poem is probably ‘Auld Lang Syne’ which is sung at New Year’s celebrations around the world.
Traditionally the Scots eat haggis (see above), ‘neeps’ (swede) and ‘tatties’ (potatoes), recite Burns’ poetry and drink on this day. If you’re in the UK, it should be quite easy to find a pub celebrating Burns night, you might even find a Ceilidh (Scottish party, usually with dancing and folk music) somewhere near you.
If you’re in Oxford, you could go to: BrewDog on Cowley Road, The Holly Bush, Bridge Street or St Aldates Tavern, St. Aldates or get tickets for the Burns Night Ceilidh at Exeter Hall in Kidlington (http://www.oxfordpipeband.co.uk/ceilidh-2020/)
Make Your Own Burns Night Supper
Haggis (Main Dish)
Unless you have your own sheep to butcher, you’ll probably have to buy this as it is made of the liver, heart and lungs of a sheep mixed with suet, oatmeal, onion and spices, packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled. You can buy it at Waitrose. They also sell a (nicer) vegetarian version.
Starters
Salmon smoked or baked, maybe in a salad, or ‘Cullen Skink’ (delicious smoked haddock soup) or ‘cock – a – leekie’ soup.
Side Dishes
Roast swede and potato. Mashed potato with cream or quick fried leeks or cabbage.
Drinks
Whisky (or Irn Bru, which is non-alcoholic, if you can get it).
Puddings
Cranachan
570 ml double cream
85g porridge oats
7tbsp whisky
3 tbsp honey
450g raspberries
1.Gently toast the oats in a frying pan.
2.Lightly whip the cream and fold in honey, whisky, oatmeal & berries.
Shortbread
125g butter, 55g caster sugar, 180g plain flour.
1.Heat the oven to 190C
2. Beat the butter & sugar together until smooth
3. Stir in flour. Take out of the bowl and put on the table, gently roll until about 1 cm thick.
4. Cut into circles or ‘fingers’ and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle caster sugar on top and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until pale golden-brown. Let cool.
Notes Someone should read Robert Burns’ ‘Address to a Haggis’ when you bring the haggis to the table https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5f_yDLZBaA , you can find an English translation here: https://inews.co.uk/culture/address-to-a-haggis-robert-burns-poem-words-translation-burns-night-2019-146960
Put on some traditional Scots music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFM7iH9lwQw and maybe dance around a sword or two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUFR4LcSKrs
Chinese New Year 25th January 2020
Marking the beginning of the Year of the Rat. The biggest celebration in the UK (and the largest outside Asia) will be in and around Chinatown and the West End in London on Sunday 26th January. There will be parades, performances and displays (https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/4733685-chinese-new-year-in-london)
If you’re in Oxford, you can buy tickets for the celebration at the Town Hall on Sunday 2nd February (https://www.cheney.oxon.sch.uk/student-news/invitation-to-chinese-new-year-celebration-on-sunday-2nd-february-2020-9th-day-of-the-chinese-new-year/).
January 2020 Newsletter:
This is the last in my series of British novels and it is by far the most recent. As this book (the first of seven) was only published in 1997, it would be surprising that it has already given a word to the language were it not such a hugely popular series.
This is a much-loved children’s classic about a boy, a bear, a little pig and various other animals who live in a wood. It has been translated into many languages since it was written in 1925 so, chances are, you already know the characters and stories.
Gulliver goes on a series of sea voyages. On the first trip he’s shipwrecked and ends up on the island of Lilliput where he is imprisoned by tiny little people who are at war with their neighbours over which end of a boiled egg is the correct end to crack. After he escapes and returns home he goes on a second sea voyage. This time his shipmates abandon him on the island of Brobdingnag, an island of giants. On Gulliver’s third sea voyage his ship is attacked by pirates and he visits four more fictional places and Japan, he meets magicians, ghosts of famous historical figures and an Emperor. Undeterred by his previous misfortunes, once Gulliver returns home he decides to go to sea again. He is given the post of ship’s captain but his crew mutinies and abandons him on an island ruled by talking horses and peopled by deformed savage humans called ‘Yahoos’. Eventually he returns home where he spends the rest of his days talking to his horses. Published in 1726. You might like to try an abridged version as the language is rather archaic (see excerpt below).
The story of a man – Robinson Crusoe – shipwrecked in the Caribbean. Much of the action centres on his efforts to survive on a deserted island, while much of the narrative is concerned with Crusoe’s relationship with God and the possibility his predicament is punishment for being a slave trader.