There has been a Burns party going on here…..at least that’s what I’m told!!!

We’ve had a genuine article Scot here, along with haggis (sheeps belly stuffed with offal, herbs and oatmeal), veggie haggis (plastic bag stuffed with oatmeal, herbs and nuts) neeps (the Scots call them turnips (neeps), but they’re WRONG because they’re really Swedes, mashed with butter) and tatties (potatoes also mashed with butter).

The genuine article Scot was accompanied by his lovely Cornish wife and our neighbours, both Essex-types. The genuine article Scot did the “address to a haggis” in fine Scottish, complete with the stabbing of said item with a sharp knife and a swigging back of the amber nectar (no, not some nasty Aussie lager, real amber nectar).

That’s been the centrepiece of our supper, along with a very un-Scottish eggs Florentine and a Devon apple and cider cake, topped off with lashings of pure Cornish Clotted Cream. Sorry – I know I spend a lot of time going on about food but it is one of my obsessions.

We’ve wassailed the apple tree, by feeding it cider, giving it lots of love and hugs and asking for a good fruit harvest. (DM and I did that alone because he was worried about us being thought of as tree-hugging hippies by our friends).

Then, basically, it all went downhill……the champers to celebrate our engagement, the wine, cider and whisky all took their toll. Hic! Empty bottle tally – 1xchampers, 3xred wine, 1xwhite wine, 1xcider and 1xwhisky. Hmmmmm – must try harder next year.