Toast the Haggis and Robert Burns' 250th Birthday at a Burns Night Supper in 2009

Scotland's favorite poet, Robert Burns celebrated the haggis, one of the country's most famous dishes, in verse. This year is the 250 anniversary of his birth and as good excuse as any to kick off Scotland's Homecoming 2009 on January 25th, Burns' birthday.

At traditional Burns' Night Suppers on the night, the poem is recited and the haggis is stabbed with a sharp knife, and toasted with many drams of Scotch whisky, before being eaten with neeps and tatties - mashed turnips and potatoes.

Haggis may be something of an acquired taste but if you are game enough to try some in the context of a traditional Burns' Night Supper, you'll find the celebration taking place at The Scotsman Hotel Restaurant in Edinburgh - The North Bridge Brasserie. The menu will include the traditional fare as well as Scottish beef (very nice) with all the trimmings, Scottish raspberries and heather honey mousse.

And Talisker Whisky are hosting 500 Burns Night events, featuring their Scotch malt whisky, in pubs, clubs and restaurants all over the UK. Find out more from About.com's London guide Laura Porter.

Even if you can't make it on the night, the restaurant is serving a modern Burns Night menu from January 19 to 24. Sounds lovely and the hotel's B&B rate for January is quite a deal too.
And, by the way - if you think you're not a fan of poetry, have never heard any of Robert Burns poetry and certainly have never memorized any, just think back a few days ago to New Year's Eve. If you sang so much as a chorus of Auld Lang Syne, you were singing Burns' words.

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