Which haggis is truly chieftain o' puddin' race?

Published on Friday 19 January 2007 11:57

HAGGIS, the most traditional of Scottish dishes, is probably the one item of cuisine for which this nation is known around the world.

There are undoubtedly still some who turn their nose up at the dish, but it seems most Scots now can't get enough of it.

With vegetarian haggis now readily available, everyone can join in the fun, and the only difficulty is trying to decide which haggis to have.

So which one truly is the chieftain o' the puddin' race? To provide an answer, we enlisted the help of award-winning butcher Joe Findlay, who runs Findlay's of Portobello.

A butcher for 45 years, 62-year-old Joe says: "It should be nice and moist, and break apart quite easily on the fork.

"I also like to have one with a good spicy flavour to it."

His award-winning haggis, made from a 200-year-old recipe, was one of those thrown into our blind taste test.

So with six piping hot puddins in front of us, and not a piper in sight, it's on with the test.

Simon Howie's Haggis (stocked at Sainsbury's), 454g, 1.99

We start with strangest-looking haggis of the bunch and the only traditional haggis not to come served in the sheep's stomach, the plastic coating perhaps used to make it more palatable to a wider audience.

Joe insists this makes little or no difference to the flavour, although he is a bit curious about the fact that it is a very black colour, not the paler shade one would expect. Opening it up, the mystery continues with the dark meat, and seemingly few oats, giving it a very unique look. And it has a "distinctive" flavour.

After a few cautious forkfuls, Joe is also unconvinced. "It's very bland, and I have to say it doesn't really taste like haggis," he says. "It's not got any of the spices or flavours you would expect from a haggis, and they certainly don't seem to have used the traditional ingredients. It's not one for me I'm afraid."

Haggis rating: Loser o' the puddin' race. 1/5

Sainsbury's replies: "We aim to provide our customers with food that is tasty and of a very high quality. We take feedback very seriously and are always looking at ways of improving our offer to customers."

George Bower's Haggis, 640g, 3.63

This rather large haggis comes in a thick skin and the filling has a pale, moist texture. It looks crammed with oats and spices, and has a very meaty aroma.

But Joe is a bit disappointed. He says: "It's bit salty, which is a shame because this is a nice haggis.

"The texture's great, and it's really moist, but because of the salt it rather takes away from the other flavours.

"You do need a bit of salt to season the meat, but it's something you have to be careful of."

Haggis rating: Sonsie 3/5

Mark Smith, owner of George Bower's, of Raeburn Place, replies: "Sometimes you can get a bit of salt from the skin it is cooked in, although normally if it's boiled up for 45 minutes it should be fine, so it's a bit puzzling that it seemed too salty. It can be a matter of personal taste though."

Macsween Vegetarian Haggis, 454g, 2.99 from Waitrose

Most Burns Suppers will now serve up a vegetarian haggis alongside the traditional one.

More and more butchers are making their own vegetarian options, although the one which has probably been going the longest is the Macsween of Edinburgh.

There is no mistaking it for a real haggis, simply from the colour, which is shot through with bits of green and orange.

With plenty of nuts used to give it a grainy texture similar to haggis, it unsurprisingly has a very nutty taste. Joe is impressed.

"It's very nice, and while it's not too spicy there's plenty of flavour here," he says. "You can see the bits of carrots, onions, kidney beans that have been used to create the 'haggis', and it's a lovely mixture.

"If I was being picky I'd say it should be a bit more spicy, as you would expect that of a normal haggis. But it's really good."

Haggis rating: Wordy of a grace 3/5

Crombie's Haggis, 474g, 3.22

Packed tightly inside a sheep's stomach, this really looks the part. It smells spicy, and has a slightly dark brown colour.

Taste wise, it's everything you'd expect from a haggis, with a rich flavour, an oaty texture and a spicy tingle on the tongue. But what does the expert make of it?

"It's a little packed together and I would probably want a haggis that is a bit looser," he says. "It has a great flavour though, and I think there's a hint of Jamaican pepper in there. It's not too strong though, and while you can't taste the meat too much it is certainly not bland. I really like this."

Haggis rating: Chieftain o' the puddin' race 5/5

Jonathan Crombie, owner of Crombie's, of Broughton Street, replies: "I'm delighted our haggis was the winner, as it's always best to win a competition you don't know about!

"We've done a lot of work over recent years to try to bring down the fat content of our haggis, and it now has about half the fat it used to.

"There has been a lot of experimentation to make sure it keeps the flavour, and this would suggest it has been a success."

Macsween of Edinburgh Traditional Haggis, 454g, 2.99 from Waitrose

And so to the perceived king of the haggis, and perhaps the best known name in puddin' making. The skin of the classic Macsween has a lovely pale, creamy texture, which gives way to a light, oaty haggis mixture and a great aroma, just the kind of thing you'd want on Burns Night.

And it's tasty too, not too spicy but not too bland either, with lots of oats and clearly a liberal amount of black pepper.

"It breaks up very nicely, and it's clearly a quality haggis," says Joe. "It has got plenty of oats in it, but you can also taste the meat, and there's a nice spiciness to it which is just subtle, not overpowering.

"It is still a little salty for my taste though, which again masks some of the flavours from the meat, but all in all this is very good."

Haggis rating: Runner up o' the puddin' race 4/5

Company director Jo Macsween replies: "I don't mind coming second to Crombie's as we know them very well and they do make an excellent haggis. We get up every day and make award-winning haggis, and we are the biggest supplier in Scotland. This month we'll probably sell about 250 tonnes, or 1.25 million portions of haggis, which will go out to places across Europe. Our vegetarian haggis has really taken off as well, and it's becoming more popular every year."

Findlay's of Portobello, 500g, 3.30

It has to be admitted that Joe, expert haggis connoisseur that he is, spots his own product straight away, and so sadly it is removed from "official" competition. However, to make sure it's not left out, myself and photographer Julie Howden agree to give it a try.

It's a lot more crumbly than the others but still very moist, and has a slightly darker colour to it. The flavour of the meat is more prominent and it's not too spicy, with Joe admitting he likes to leave that for other people to season depending on their taste.

I must admit, I prefer my haggis a bit more spicy, but this is certainly a tasty feast that would grace any Burns Night - and indeed Joe will be taking it personally to five, as well as supplying thousands more to hotels and restaurants across Europe.

Julie is even more enthusiastic. "This is great," she says, through forkfuls. "This is definitely the best of the bunch, and I actually like the fact that it's not too spicy."

Haggis rating: Warm-reekin, rich 4/5