Address to the Haggis

Predictions for 2009 have been pretty grim so far, so I am delighted to be the bearer of good news: ladies and gentlemen, the word is out that haggis sales are set to soar.

For lambs' offal mixed with suet and onions (personally I like it) has come back into it's own. Surprisingly this has nothing to do with the economy or some long-awaited return to traditional values - it's Robbie Burns' 250th birthday on January 25 (or would have been, had he not died aged 37).

For those of you who have yet to celebrate the birth of Scotland's national poet, Burns night basically involves reading the , and then eating it, although the Scottish Homecoming site (set up for the anniversary) also lists: "The Drink (normally Whisky), The Songs, The Recitals, The Dance and of course the most important ingredient of all, The Fun". Indeed.

But it's not all offal and games: from Toronto to Moscow (there are more Burns clubs in Russia than in Scotland, apparently), people are scrambling to set a Burn's dinner-inspired world record (Yes! More world records! It's just like Christmas). So far we've got the most remote (held in Bolivia by the Scientific Exploration Society) and the scariest (in Edinburgh Dungeon) but really the field is wide open... if you're looking for inspiration, watch this (there's a rather thrilling moment with a sword towards the end):

PS. Happy New Year!