Guide to Burns Night dining at Chef & Brewer
Christmas may feel like a distant memory, but January doesn’t mean the festivities have to draw to a close. Burns Night 2026 is the perfect excuse to gather with loved ones and embrace the frosty winter nights with the warmth of candlelight, good food and great company.
What is Burns Night?
Burns Night is a Scottish celebration held annually on January 25th. It honours the life and works of Robert Burns, who was Scotland's national poet and the man behind Auld Lang Syne and Address to a Haggis.
Fans believed his poetry perfectly encapsulated the culture and identity of Scottish life, with the use of local dialects and folk traditions, as well as a focus on topics like social class, farming, rural life, and longstanding friendship.
The evening typically revolves around a special Burns Night menu, and the gathering of friends and family.
The history of the Burns Night tradition
The first Burns Night was celebrated on January 25th in 1801, five years after the death of Robert Burns. It was a gathering of his closest friends, held at the poet’s birthplace of Burns Cottage in Alloway, Ayrshire.
The Reverend Hamilton Paul hosted the gathering of what was described as nine ‘honest men of Ayr’, although there has been speculation that women may have been in attendance, as one of the confirmed guests had the name Primrose.
The evening featured many of the key traditions still enjoyed at Burns Night celebrations today, including hearty food, warm company, and heartfelt toasts to the memory of Robert Burns.
What do you typically eat on Burns Night?
Also known as a Burns Supper, the evening typically sees guests enjoy three to four courses from a Burns Night menu. The first course is traditionally a hearty soup, such as Scotch broth, which is slow-cooked with root vegetables, barley, and meat, cock-a-leekie, which is a chicken and leek soup, or Cullen Skink, which is a rich and creamy dish of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions.
Haggis is the main course, which is a savoury pudding of sheep's offal, as well as oats, suet, onion, and spices. The mixture is then cooked inside a sheep's stomach, and usually served alongside champit tatties, which are mashed potatoes, and neeps, which are mashed turnips. If haggis is the intermediary course, it’ll be followed by a fish or meat dish.
For dessert, it has to be a Cranachan Sundae, which is a traditional Scottish dessert made with oats, cream, berries and whisky.
You might then finish the evening with a classic cheeseboard featuring an array of beloved Scottish options, such as Caboc, Crowdie and Lanark Blue.
Guests' glasses are rarely empty on Burns Night, with a dram of whisky being the traditional tipple of choice. For a sweeter sip, you might choose a glass of Drambuie, a golden Scottish liqueur infused with whisky, honey, and spices.
What are some of the traditions of Burns Night?
Many elements of a Burns Night celebration have become cherished rituals, including Addressing the Haggis.
This theatrical tradition takes place when the haggis is ceremoniously brought to the table, often accompanied by the sound of bagpipes. A guest, usually the host, then recites Robert Burns’ poem Address to a Haggis with dramatic flair, slicing into it at the line “An’ cut you up wi’ ready slicht."
The evening often includes a series of traditional toasts, too, beginning with the Selkirk Grace, which is a short prayer or blessing before the meal, a heartfelt toast to the haggis and Robert Burns, a toast to the lassies, which means the women present, and a reply to the lassies, which is typically a witty retort.
Songs are played throughout the evening, with the night usually ending with the gathering of hands and a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
Why you should celebrate Burns Night at the pub
With the dark nights and frosty winter weather, there’s something so comforting about a pub. It’s a place where you can enjoy a friendly welcome and the comforting hum of chatter from the second you set foot inside.
Home is where the heart is and at a Chef & Brewer pub, we’ve got that sense of cosy warmth woven into our walls. With crackling fires to shake off the cold, flickering candles on tabletops to create the perfect ambience, and a delicious pub food menu and full stocked bar to keep you satisfied.
Burns Night is a time for gathering, and what better setting than the pub? It’s where families reconnect, new friendships blossom, and old friends reunite.
With skilled chefs crafting delicious Burns Night menus, and bar staff keeping the drinks flowing, the evening can run seamlessly, leaving you free from the duties of hosting.
How are Chef & Brewer marking Burns Night?
Join us between Thursday the 23rd of January and Saturday the 25th of January for a cosy celebration.
Our chefs have crafted a four-course Burns Night menu that's rich in flavour and tradition. Prepare to indulge in classic Scottish-inspired pub food and drinks, including a selection of our favourite Scottish whiskies!
Find your nearest Chef & Brewer
Want to celebrate Burns Night at Chef & Brewer? We’ve got plenty of cosy countryside pubs across the country, so pop your postcode or location into our pub finder tool, and discover one near you.