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Scottish Haggis for a Slow Food Burns Night – 25th January
Ark of Taste Haggis: Hardiesmill Ethical Scotch Beef – available online
Now also with Farm Shop selling their own and neighbour’s finest produce – opened July 2020
Highly respected family business rearing Scotch Assured pedigree Aberdeen Angus in the traditional way, from native bulls, and fed on grass and grass silage. Well-hung beef from the finest Border countryside. They make excellent beef haggis and are regulars at Kelso farmers’ markets
Aberdeen Angus is a famous name and popular on menus across the world but a diminishing number of people realise that most of the time they are eating a cross bred animal as they are allowed to be called Aberdeen Angus when only sired by a bull, therefore 50% Aberdeen Angus. Hardiesmill is one of the very places producing pure Aberdeen Angus beef, and even more unusually, grass-rearing the whole way through. Since the 1970s, as farmers looked towards profit and mechanisation, they selected species for larger conformations of cuts to the detriment of flavour and texture. The development and cross breeding of the species has created a breed that is a shadow of its former self. In contrast the original Native Aberdeen Angus is 100% pure bred from heritage, grass fed and traditionally reared beasts. This is on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste.
This breed is rich in flavour, juicy and with exquisite marbling throughout. The breed, feed, flavour and hanging from these traditional methods makes for a superb product. Hardiesmil has full traceability on their herd and take a pride in their heritage.
Mail order online shop on their website (https://www.hardiesmill.co.uk/shop ) or visit their farm shop for order & collect. Also supplying Tebay Services, Cairn Lodge Service Station and the local store in the adjacent village of Gordon. Hardiesmill Ark Aberdeen Angus
Hardiesmill Haggis is made to order at £9.99/kg. Typical weight: 454g (1lb). Available as balls or sticks. Tel:+44(0)1573 410797
Ark of Taste Haggis: John Lawson Butchers using Ark Ardoch Hebridean sheep
Available through their shops in Uphall, Winchburgh & Broxburn but not online
Graham Lawson has arranged to make their haggis with Hebridean Sheep from Ardoch especially for Slow Food. John Lawson and his wife founded his business in 1979, now with 3 sons, all butchers. They have been crowned the Scotch Lamb Butcher of the Year 2018 and their Original Scottish Black Pudding, one of very few made with fresh blood, is on Slow Food Ark Of Taste.
John Lawson Butchers Uphall 01506 855634
Ardoch Hebridean Sheep have a multi-award-winning flock, often seen at the Scotland’s Royal Highland Show.Ardoch Hebridean Sheep
Other excellent family businesses selling homemade haggis – available online
Macbeths Great Taste Award Haggis, made to an old family recipe using local lamb. Also purveyor of Haggis Scoticus Glutenless, a gluten free haggis! He may also have venison haggis but cannot say until it is off the hill! It will be on his website nearer the time if available. Macbeths Haggis
Ramsays Great Taste Award Haggis (predominantly pork, outdoor reared) Ramsays of Carluke
Peelham Farm – organic gluten free haggis using a traditional recipe using lamb, beef & mutton with gluten-free oatmeal from the Montgarrie Mill, Aberdeenshire Peelham Farm Haggis
To avoid post-Brexit shipping difficulties, in Northern Ireland excellent haggis is available from J E Toms in Portstewart, but not online.
Image of Haggis (C) Wendy Barrie and used with kind permission
