Burns supper

Saturday 27th January, 2007 - Reksten Samlingen

The Society started off 2007 by embarking on a new venture. Having been saved in 2006 by Portobello butcher Joe Findlay’s haggis mercy mission, the Society decided to invite him back again in 2007 as guest of honour. Our friends in the Bergen branch of Norsk Malt Whisky Lag (NMWL) heard about our success in getting haggis to Bergen in 2006 and asked us to help supply their Burns Supper with haggis as well. It quickly became clear that Joe’s suitcase wouldn’t be big enough to bring in enough haggis for two Burns Suppers, so he kindly offered to make haggis in Bergen.

After a couple of phone calls, Solheim Kjøtt agreed to buy in the essential raw ingredients and to let Joe use his premises to make genuine haggis in Bergen. News quickly spread and orders flowed in from other Burns Suppers across Norway. In the end Joe produced over 100kg of haggis! The event caused some excitement in the local media and Joe became overnight Bergen’s “Haggis King”.

With the main ingredient secure, the Burns Supper itself was held at Reksten Samlingen. The snow fell deep and crisp and even before and during the event, but despite this 90 guests and speakers made their way through the snow drifts for the night. The evening was opened by Bergen Pipeband playing a rendition of Highland Cathedral and a medley of other traditional Scottish pipe tunes.

Society Chairman and Master of Ceremonies James Hosea opened the evening, and Bergen Pipeband leader Chris Jones piped in Joe and one of his Chieftain haggii. Willie Dawson gave the address to the haggis, and the Immortal Memory was delivered by Tom Hunter. After the main course Joe entertained the guests with tales of his haggis farm outside of Edinburgh.

Deputy Mayor of Hordaland Tom-Christer Nilsen toasted the lassies in fine style, and then received as good as he gave from Helenka Dinessen in her reply from the lassies! The Society was very fortunate in that Johannes Gjerdåker read a number of his eloquent translations of Burns in Nynorsk. Grendakoret followed up with a trilogy of Burns songs, and then it was time to clear away the tables and dance away the rest of the night to the sound of Ally MacKenzie on accordion and Iain “Stretch” McFadyen on drums.