Haggis lives wild among the hills, say a fifth of Britons

ONE in five Britons thinks the haggis is a hilltop-dwelling animal, a survey showed.

The poll showed 41 per cent of people across the UK have no idea what the traditional Scottish dish is. It also revealed that even many Scots are baffled.

According to the survey, 18 per cent of Britons believe the myth that haggis – a mixture of offal and oatmeal cooked in a sheep's stomach – is a real beast that roams the Highlands.

Another 15 per cent think it is a Scottish musical instrument while 4 per cent believe haggis is a Harry Potter character.

Of the 1,623 people interviewed, nearly 800 were Scottish and 14 per cent of them did not know what haggis was.

Scotland's famous deep-fried Mars bar also made a mention in the study of Scottish food, with 76 per cent of those polled having eaten one.

Over 90 per cent wanted more deep-fried chocolate available as a takeaway snack. Nearly 70 per cent wanted haggis to be available as a takeaway option.

The survey was commissioned by the online takeaway food service Just-Eat.co.uk.

A spokesman said: "We thought it'd be interesting to see just how much people know about haggis across the UK. It turns out, not a lot – but everyone seems open-minded."