Beating the blues with a celebration

Rabbie Burns
• Fond of a dram: Robert Burns died on 21 July 1796. Burns suppers have been celebrated in his honour for over 200 years.

WHILE retailers in other parts of the UK may struggle to find cause for celebration this month, Scottish stores have a national poet to help them through the winter.

Falling on 25 January, Burns Night is tailor-made for this time of year, with traditions that are well suited to the kind of categories shoppers seek out on a cold evening.

For over 200 years, families and friends have gathered to celebrate Scotland’s most famous poet, with a big feed and a few drams to wash everything down.

The first Burns supper was held at the bard’s cottage in Alloway, South Ayrshire on 21 July 1801 – the fifth anniversary of his death.

It’s a tradition that has been going strong ever since, with Burns suppers now taking place across the globe.

Haggis, neeps, tatties and – of course – whisky, are all traditional favourites on Burns Night, but there’s plenty of scope for Scottish brands from a variety of categories to get in on the act.