Chef Paula McIntyre usually celebrates Burns Night by cooking haggis, neeps and tatties. This year is a little different.
Back in 1859, a lavish banquet was held in Belfast’s Music Hall to commemorate the birth of Robert Burns.
More than 300 Belfast citizens gathered at the feast, which included Mock Turtle Soup, Turkey with truffles and an array of mouth-watering desserts. The menu and an account of the banquet was published in the Belfast Newsletter.
Using this as inspiration, Paula has set herself the challenge of re-creating some of the dishes for a special dinner which will incorporate traditional recipes and local ingredients while at the same time adding the occasional modern twist.
The chef will be cooking for 12 guests at Montalto House, near Ballynahinch.
Montalto has its own unique connection with Robert Burns; Lady Rawdon, who lived there in the 18th century, was one of the original sponsors of the 1st Edinburgh edition of Burns’s poems.
She will be chatting to food historian Annie Gray, Ulster-Scots broadcaster and blogger, Mark Thompson and paying a visit to the Linenhall Library to view the world-famous Gibson collection.
The final selection of dishes she will cook at the banquet will include Potage a la Reine (chicken and almond soup), Haggis, Oyster Vol-au-Vent, Turkey a la Perigord (turkey with truffles), a strawberry tartlet and an apple meringue. A feast fit for a celebration of Scotland’s most famous bard.
Paula McIntyre’s Burns Night Banquet is on BBC Two Northern Ireland, Sunday 23 January at 10pm.
