Burns' Night
27 Jan 2013 07:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
curiouswombatBurns' Night was, officially, 25th January - i.e.the anniversary of the birth of the poet Robert Burns. But we usually celebrate it on the nearest Saturday evening, so it was our Burns' Night Supper last night.
When I say 'ours', it is our church that organises what our toastmaster (who is also the Speaker of the House of Keys) calls 'not only the Island's Premier Burns' Night event - but the Premier Social Event of the year'. Perhaps he exaggerates a little - but it is a big event and a chance for us to put on our glad-rags and eat in one of the best hotels on the island.
This year there were about 90 guests, many of the men in kilts, most of the others in Evening Dress, all of the ladies in evening wear, although not all in full-length. And it was absolutely pouring with rain, the wind was a steady 35mph with gusts up to 60 - and the hotel in question is on the seafront.
I dropped S2C, D-d, her partner (useful male from work who is not, she points out, currently a boyfriend) at the door and had to park a little way away - only about 20 - 30 yards as it happens - but I was still soaking wet from the bottom of my coat to the bottom of my dress...
We had to do our utmost to make sure D-d didn't get wet as she was one of the speakers! There are a series of traditional toasts and replies at a Burns' Night Supper and one of these, at a Burns' Night outside Scotland, is 'To Our Adopted Homeland'. This was being proposed by HRH The Lieutenant Governor (the representative of The Queen, Lord of Mann - like the Governor General of Australia or Canada, but on a smaller scale!) - and D-d made the reply on behalf of the Manx - a five minute speech.
She did really well but, sadly, I was so busy listening I forgot to take her picture! However she looked very pretty in a full length red dress with her hair falling in its natural curls.
There is however, as always, a picture of the pudding
S2C and I sat at a table with some people I knew, and some I didn't - D-d and her partner sat at the top table and kept the Governor entertained.
Had I been sitting there too, I wouldn't have got my camera out to take a picture of pudding - but on our table it only occurred to me when one of the couple I didn't know got his out to do just that!
We had pheasant and pork paté for starter, the haggis was duly piped in and addressed in great style by Speaker Rodan, and eaten with neeps and taties (and a very good haggis it was, too), then we had chicken breast with vegetables, followed by a lemon posset with blueberry compote and a blueberry tartlet....
The sticks are chocolate curls. The blueberry compote was separate and I thought it looked prettier before I added it, rather than after. It tasted as good as it looked.
Finally, with coffee, we got chocolate dipped shortbread...
The speeches had to be good to keep us all awake after that!
Unrelated - how wonderful is it that one of the experts on Time Team is called Dr Helen Geake?
And did you know that the reason we serve lemon with fish has nothing to do with flavour, but that in the Middle Ages it was thought lemon juice was the best thing to dissolve fish-bones - so the wedge of lemon was to suck if you got a bone caught in your throat? I learnt that factlet from The Unbelievable Truth on Radio 4 - even their comedy programmes are educational - they just can't help it! They were also taking the micky out of fifty shades of Grey... how wonderful is Radio 4?
When I say 'ours', it is our church that organises what our toastmaster (who is also the Speaker of the House of Keys) calls 'not only the Island's Premier Burns' Night event - but the Premier Social Event of the year'. Perhaps he exaggerates a little - but it is a big event and a chance for us to put on our glad-rags and eat in one of the best hotels on the island.
This year there were about 90 guests, many of the men in kilts, most of the others in Evening Dress, all of the ladies in evening wear, although not all in full-length. And it was absolutely pouring with rain, the wind was a steady 35mph with gusts up to 60 - and the hotel in question is on the seafront.
I dropped S2C, D-d, her partner (useful male from work who is not, she points out, currently a boyfriend) at the door and had to park a little way away - only about 20 - 30 yards as it happens - but I was still soaking wet from the bottom of my coat to the bottom of my dress...
We had to do our utmost to make sure D-d didn't get wet as she was one of the speakers! There are a series of traditional toasts and replies at a Burns' Night Supper and one of these, at a Burns' Night outside Scotland, is 'To Our Adopted Homeland'. This was being proposed by HRH The Lieutenant Governor (the representative of The Queen, Lord of Mann - like the Governor General of Australia or Canada, but on a smaller scale!) - and D-d made the reply on behalf of the Manx - a five minute speech.
She did really well but, sadly, I was so busy listening I forgot to take her picture! However she looked very pretty in a full length red dress with her hair falling in its natural curls.
There is however, as always, a picture of the pudding
S2C and I sat at a table with some people I knew, and some I didn't - D-d and her partner sat at the top table and kept the Governor entertained.
Had I been sitting there too, I wouldn't have got my camera out to take a picture of pudding - but on our table it only occurred to me when one of the couple I didn't know got his out to do just that!
We had pheasant and pork paté for starter, the haggis was duly piped in and addressed in great style by Speaker Rodan, and eaten with neeps and taties (and a very good haggis it was, too), then we had chicken breast with vegetables, followed by a lemon posset with blueberry compote and a blueberry tartlet....
The sticks are chocolate curls. The blueberry compote was separate and I thought it looked prettier before I added it, rather than after. It tasted as good as it looked.
Finally, with coffee, we got chocolate dipped shortbread...
The speeches had to be good to keep us all awake after that!
Unrelated - how wonderful is it that one of the experts on Time Team is called Dr Helen Geake?
And did you know that the reason we serve lemon with fish has nothing to do with flavour, but that in the Middle Ages it was thought lemon juice was the best thing to dissolve fish-bones - so the wedge of lemon was to suck if you got a bone caught in your throat? I learnt that factlet from The Unbelievable Truth on Radio 4 - even their comedy programmes are educational - they just can't help it! They were also taking the micky out of fifty shades of Grey... how wonderful is Radio 4?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 28/01/2013 06:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 28/01/2013 08:42 am (UTC)