With this in mind, here we take a look at a range of virtual events and food delivery options available to toast our national bard on Burns night - 25 January.
The Scotsman’s hit food and drink podcast, Scran, is coming to you live on video on Burns Night at 7pm.
Join Scotsman food and drink writer and host of Scran, Rosalind Erskine and Scotsman heritage writer, Alison Campsie for a fun filled evening with music, famous faces, laughter and of course food.
James Macsween, warm up with some drams and whisky pairing suggestions from Benriach’s Stewart Buchanan while Scotland’s national chef Gary Maclean shares his cooking tips and advice for Burns night leftovers.
With music from Grant Dinwoodie and a range of very special guests telling us how they’re celebrating Burns night, guests can also join to win a bottle of Fidra Gin plus an exclusive discount code from the Fidra Gin and The Scotsman subscriptions. Grab a whisky, sit back and enjoy Scran Live.
Sign up for free here and join us LIVE at 7pm.
Celebrate Scotland’s national bard this Burns night with a virtual Burns Zoom party supper from Contini Edinburgh.
The menu includes a starter of smoked salmon, classic haggis, neeps and tatties, plus traditional cranachan for dessert and a nip of Glengoyne 10 year old single malt Scotch Whisky.
The meal kit is available to order for delivery or collection from Contini, 103 George Street, Edinburgh, from 20 until 23 January.
Find out more and order here.
Join the 'Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year' on one of our three Burns Night virtual tastings on 21st, 25th & 28th Jan, feat @1770Whisky, @MaltRiotWhisky & some surprises🥃🏴
More info & booking here, including possibility to purchase gift cards: https://t.co/nSSJDcq5V3 pic.twitter.com/yENDb7GFGT
— The Glasgow Distillery Co. (@GlasgowDC) December 23, 2020
Glasgow Distillery, which recently won Distillery of the Year at the annual Scottish Whisky Awards, is hosting a series of online tastings to celebrate Burns night.
On 21, 25 and 28 January, the distillery is teaming up with Once Upon a Whisky for a virtual night of tastings and chat.
Tickets, which are on sale now, are priced at £35 and include: five whiskies to taste, from the Glasgow Distillery, the chance to discover all the secrets behind the first whisky distillery in Glasgow in over 100 years, and an online tasting via WebEx at the comfort of your home.
The team at Once Upon a Whisky said: "Every Thursday, join us on an online whisky tasting hosted by Once Upon a Whisky from the distillery’s newly re-furbished Tasting Room.
"Each week, we will be tasting a wonderful set of 5 whiskies delivered directly to your door.
"The city of Glasgow, apart from being a vibrant place full of culture, music and amazing food, is also one of the central hubs for the whisky industry in Scotland.
"Even though The Glasgow Distillery is a relatively new player, their whiskies have become a reference for quality and craftsmanship."
The Adamson Restaurant & Bar have created celebration boxes to enjoy at home and which can be delivered locally and nationally.
Their Burns night box was created by executive chef Chris Niven and the menu features haggis croquette in a whisky and turnip veloute, Cullen skink pie and cranachan tart with a drambuie chantilly cream.
The award winning cocktail bar has matched the celebration menu with a Glenmorangie whisky cocktail - Thou Bonnie Gem.
The Burns Night box is £65.00 for two and can be ordered here.
Popular haggis brand, Macsween, will play host to what they hope will be the largest virtual Burns supper this month.
Taking place on 25 January, the haggis company will be joined by comedy actor Karen Dunbar and Dr. Rachel Barrie, master blender for Benriach distillery on Macsween’s Facebook page at 7pm on 25 January.
The online celebration of Scotland’s national poet will be held at a time when many will be at home instead of taking part in the usual celebrations with friends in person.
The team at Perthshire farm and cook school will launch a Burns night at home menu via their online shop.
Details are still tbc, but follow them on social media to find out more.
Former freelance chef, Serena McIvor has reinvented her business and is now offering cook at home kits for residents of Perth and Kinross.
For Burns night, Serena has teamed up with WoodWinters wine merchants to offer wines and whiskies that can be delivered alongside a four course dinner - priced at £35.
Orders must be made by 12pm on Wednesday for a Friday or Saturday delivery.
Serena said: "I take the opportunity to offer special menus for special dates and Burns Night is no different!
"Offering a four course dinner for £35, all food is pre-cooked and only requires re-heating and plating, full instructions are included with the delivery. There is a full vegetarian alternative each weekend."
To find out more and order, please visit The Home Menu website.
With Burns Night fast approaching, Scottish brand Feragaia has teamed up with figures in food and drink for a virtual event.
Hosted on Feragaia’s Instagram Live (@Feragaia) from 6.45pm on Monday 25 January, the Burns Night Celebration is free to join and will offer a unique Scottish celebration from the comfort of your own home.
Bringing together 14 land and sea botanicals, Feragaia is Scotland’s first distilled alcohol-free spirit and has been designed for drinks explorers who want to try something new.
Crafted from responsibly sourced and local botanicals – lemon verbena, serrated wrack, chamomile, bay leaf and blackcurrant leaf – each bottle is distilled, and hand blended to form a spirit with a bold depth of flavour.
For the live event, host and co-founder of Feragaia, Jamie Wild, will kick off the night with a poetry reading and cocktail making demonstration led by Fraser, Bartender of The Dreel Tavern, Fife.
The two will talk through the essentials of making a Feragaia Spiced Pear Sour.
The team at Edinburgh Food Social are offering a three course feast to celebrate this Burns night at home with delivery on Saturday 23 January.
The menu priced at £34, includes dishes such as a starter of Organic root vegetable and chicken broth with beremeal bannocks and homemade butter, churned from Mossgiel Farm organic cream, a main of Findlay’s haggis Wellington with mustard mash, pickled neeps, kale and a port and red wine reduction.
Dessert is a Treacle tart laced with Ardmore and lemon, Katy Rogers creme fraiche and there's a sweet treat of Isle of Skye salted tablet.
Steve Brown, head of food education at Edinburgh Food Social said: "This is one of our favourite events of the year, made even more special given the news of the most recent lockdown.
"This will be our first event of the year and we’re coming out fighting! The menu will include, as always, a feast of ingredients from artisan suppliers across the city and beyond and delivered to your door.
"Each dinner will be accompanied with a link to a very special ‘Address tae a Haggis’, from a man who is closer to Rabbie Burns than most!"
Find out more and order via the Edinburgh Food Social website.
This East Lothian butchers, which recently started an online shop, is offering home deliveries of Chieftain Haggis box, which comes with local, East Lothian potatoes, turnips, and whisky sauce.
Priced at £27, it's available to order from 20 January.
They're also doing a smaller Haggis boxes for one or two people, along with steaks, potatoes, turnips and whisky sauce.
Barnhill Farm in Erskine are offering customer a Burns night meal deal box.
The three course meal includes Cullen skink to start, followed by haggis, neeps, tatties and buttered leeks and a dessert of cranachan.
All that's needed is to add your own whisky to enjoy alongside the meal.
Find out more and order here.
Taking place on Saturday 23 January from 7 - 830pm the Big Burns Night In will be hosted by Edith Bowman.
The event includes music from Talisk, a cocktail masterclass courtesy of The Glenlivet, some exclusive insights into the life of Scotland’s national bard from National Trust experts plus some very special guests who’ll bring the traditional Burns Supper to life including the world-famous ‘Address to a Haggis’.
To accompany the virtual Burns night, you can order a ‘Box of Braw’ for two.
Filled with treats and a few wee nips to set your evening off, courtesy of some of Scotland’s most iconic brands, the box also contains some exclusive Burns-related memorabilia including a print of Burns’s original ‘Auld Lang Syne’ manuscript.
To find out more and buy tickets, which are £18 per person, visit the NTS website.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh and Glasgow are offering a special cook at home Burns night kit.
The four course menu is available for two or four people and is priced from £75.
It's available for nationwide delivery and from Queen Street in Edinburgh and Bath Street in Glasgow, comes with three paired drams and can be ordered online here.
This free virtual Burns night event will be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube at 7pm on 25 January, and includes a host of famous Scottish faces.
Comic Janey Godley will host this year's digital show, which also celebrates the Big Burns Supper festival’s 10th anniversary.
Janey Godley will welcome musicians, comedians, actors, aerialists and historians from across the world from the comfort of her living room.
Guests will include KT Tunstall, Donovan, Tide Lines, Dougie Maclean, Robert Softly and Amy Conachan.
For more information, visit the website.
SBH Scotland is joining forces with musician Fran Healy, as well as Scottish comedians Janey Godley and Fred MacAulay to host the world’s biggest virtual Burns supper.
The charity, which for the last 30 years typically welcomes up to 800 people to its annual ‘A Question of Burns’ event in Glasgow, raising over £1million as a result, is now set to take the festivities online.
The digital event will be streamed globally and SBH Scotland hopes it will be the most watched Burns event in the world.
Although online, viewers can expect all the trimmings of a traditional Burns evening.
The Address to a Haggis will feature alongside the main tribute to Burns, the Immortal Memory, recited by Comedian Bruce Fummey.
Fred MacAulay will deliver the Toast to the Lassies as Janey Godley, who became a social media sensation after creating parody videos of Nicola Sturgeon during lockdown, will then give the reply.
Travis front-man Fran Healy will perform Auld Lang’s Syne, while Scotland’s foremost Robert Burns re-enactor, Chris Tait, will recite Tam o’Shanter.
The virtual event, which has only been made possible through the support of Scottish businesses Grant’s Haggis and Endura Cycle Apparel, is free to attend, with donations encouraged through the silent auction and raffle.
The event is also supported by EventScotland through Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund.
SBH Scotland’s 2021 Burns event will go live at 7pm on Monday 25 January on its YouTube channel and Facebook channel.
The pre-recorded programme will also be available to view for one week.
To find out more about the event, visit the website.
The head chef at the Edinburgh School of Food and Wine (ESFW) has prepared a set menu based on a traditional Burns Supper, which includes a miniature of whisky for £30 per person.
There's a minimum order for two people, and there is a vegetarian option.
The Burns night meal is available for delivery or collection on 22, 23 and 25 January and all dishes are freshly cooked and prepared by the head chef and team, using local seasonal produce.
Karen Macartney of ESFW said: "We have been doing home deliveries for some time and we are well practised at operating in a COVID secure environment ensuring the orders are prepared and packed in a safe and timely manner."
To find out more and order, email [email protected]
Whisky fans are invited to join Sam Simmons aka Dr Whisky this Burns Night for a virtual gathering of storytelling, roaring fires, good company and the uncomplicated joy of a dram of whisky.
Joined by a whole host of whisky legends, this cosy event will take a look at the work of Scottish storyteller himself and show you how to make a delicious whisky cocktail with The Character of Islay Whisky Company’s Aerolite Lyndsay.
The event is taking place on the Character of Islay Facebook and YouTube channels, and you can buy a bottle of Aerolite Lyndsay to join in with the drams for £34.95 from Master of Malt.
The family-owned Cook School and cafe in Kilmarnock will be hosting an online cooking class on Thursday 21 January.
During the class, participants will learn how to make Cock a Leekie soup, haggis stuffed chicken breast, potato fondant and roasted turnip with a whisky cream sauce and a dessert of individual clootie dumpling with Drambuie custard.
Participants will receive a box with all the ingredients the day before the class which can be delivered UK wide.
They will then join a live Zoom session led by The Cook School's head chef who will demonstrate how to cook the three course meal.
Find out more and book here.
Picture: Deanston Facebook
Deanston Distillery is inviting fans to celebrate Scotland’s National Bard with a Burn’s celebration virtual tasting.
Whisky lovers can join Deanston’s ambassador, Brian Houston for a guided tasting of some very special drams.
Tickets, priced at £45, include access to the guided tasting and a wee dram pack (five, 3cl bottles) will take attendees through the journey and story of one of the distillery;s brand new releases for the new year; The Deanston Chronicles.
Find out more and buy tickets here.
Picture: Water of Life Film
This new documentary explores the craft of whisky-making and the master craftsmen and women who have elevated that craft to an art.
Inspired by (and utilising some of the same post-production team as) Chef’s Table, The Water of Life delves into the stories of a handful of whisky masters.
Shot on location in Scotland and around the world, the film showcases a story that can be enjoyed by whisky aficionados and non-drinkers alike as it focuses not on the drink, but on the people, their craft, and the history of that craft as it is passed down from generation to generation.
To celebrate its launch, viewers can enjoy a tasting as well as a screening of the film over six days in the lead up to Burns night.
The tasting kit includes six drams that feature in the film, and is priced at £38 here.
Picture: The Real Mary King's Close
Edinburgh’s award-winning Wedgwood the Restaurant has launched a ‘Burns Box’, available nationwide, to celebrate a virtual Burns night in lockdown.
The traditional five course feast includes a copy of Robert Burns’ famous poem ‘Address to a Haggis’, a dram of whisky to toast our national bard and a five-course Burns supper created by chef patron Paul Wedgwood.
With his use of seasonal Scottish ingredients, Paul has created a menu that includes: whisky and Douglas Fir cured salmon, wild Highland heather moor grouse ham and a chocolate and clootie dumpling brownie.
To finish off the experience Paul will be taking to social media on 25 January to pay tribute to the poet, to read the Address to a Haggis at 7:30pm with a wee dram of whisky.
The Burns Night box is priced at £140 for two people and includes free nationwide delivery.
Additional wine selections from the Wedgwood wine cellar will also be available to order.
This Stirling bar is offering takeaway drams, ideal for a virtual Burns night with friends or family.
The team said: "Takeaway drams (3cl) are go. Get your order in by 6pm for Sunday collection by appointment.
"Not sure what you want - Smoky peaty or smooth and your budget - the 'whisky witch' will choose for you."
Find out more via the Curly Coo Bar's social media.
The Beatson Bard and his belles Burns supper is back this year for a virtual event.
Hosted on the charity's YouTube channel, the evening includes entertainment, special guests and music from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
Tickets are priced at £30, and will raise funds or Beatson Cancer Charity.
Hosted by Alison Walker, guest speakers include Karen Dunbar, Hazel Irvine and Eric Davidson.
There will also be many opportunities to win some prizes and raise vital funds to support patients and families at The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.
This new restaurant and bar opened in Glasgow's west end on the site of The Wee Lochan on Crow Road in December.
Owners Giovanna and Phil McDonald,who also own The Taphouse bar in Finnieston. have quickly adapted to the restrictions by offering cook at home menus - and are set to introduce a Burns night option.
Find out more on their social media.
This year M&S have introduced a ‘Burns in a Box’, which is available for home delivery.
The M&S Burns in a Box hamper is available to order online in two versions: one chilled, with products to go straight in the fridge, or one for all your cupboard staples.
The Burns night hamper for two is £35 and includes: Speyside single malt Scotch whisky, Scottish Haggis, Ultimate potato mash, carrot and swede crush, whisky sauce and an all butter Scottish shortbread assortment.
The Burns night treat box is £30 and includes: Speyside single malt Scotch whisky, Oatcakes, All butter Scottish shortbread assortment, Single malt whisky truffles, Apple and fig chutney and Sultana cake.
Glenfiddich have teamed up with four UK restaurants to offer a Burns night cook at home kits complete with drams and an online tasting.
In Scotland, orders are being taken from Five March in Glasgow and The Little Chartroom in Edinburgh.
The virtual whisky tasting, which can be accessed before of after the meal, will be hosted by brand ambassadors Mark Thomson and Alex Walker.
£10 from each meal kit will be donated to The Ben in Scotland and The Drinks Trust in the rest of the UK, via the William Grant and Sons Standfast campaign.
The Whisky Exchange has plans to keep whisky lovers entertained this Burn’s night with an interactive virtual whisky quiz from 6.30pm on the 25 January.
Hosted by the Whisky Exchange ambassador, Billy Abbott, and head buyer at The Whisky Exchange, Dawn Davies, the event will take place over Zoom using Speed Quizzing software.
Prizes include Whisky Show tickets (worth over £200), special bottlings and a Robert Burns Gift Pack donated by Arran.
The quiz is free for all to join but attendees will need to register in advance to attend the event as there is a limit to how many people can attend.
This west end brasserie is offering Glasgow residents a Burns night cook at home box, which will be available for collection on 23 and 24 January.
Priced at £65, dishes include: Cullen Skink, mini venison Wellington and Drambuie baba.
Find out more and order here.
This popular Young Farmers event is back but been adapted for the current lockdown.
Posting on the Biggar Young Farmers Facebook page, the team wrote: "On the 23rd January you have the opportunity to collect a pre ordered meal from the Elph and enjoy the night with those in your household.
"We will then ask you to send photos and videos of you all enjoying your meal so that we can virtually celebrate the evening together.
"There will also be a live stream of the address to the haggis from our past chairman David Mitchell."
The menu, priced at £7.50 for a main, £10.50 for two courses and £13.50 for three courses includes: Cock-a-Leekie soup, haggis, neeps and tatties and cranachan sundae.
Orders must be placed by 16 January.
Luvians wine and whisky merchants will be hosting a virtual whisky tasting, featuring six distilleries operating during Burns lifetime that are still around today.
The tasting will take place over Zoom, and more details can be found on the Luvians social media.
Aberdeen's Tarragon Catering, which is run by Graham Mitchell, head chef of The Scullery at The Newmachar Hotel, will be serving up a Burns night feast to enjoy at home.
The four course menu, which is priced at £35, is available from 22-25 January, with orders being taken now until 5pm on 19 January.
More information can be found on the Tarragon Catering Facebook page.
After the success of their Hogmanay at home, this Aberdeen Bistro is now taking booking for a Burns night 'heat at home' takeaway menu.
The five course feast includes matched drinks pairing for £57 or £37 per person just for the food.
A vegetarian menu is available and the team said: "You’ll find a subtle nod to the traditional ‘haggis, neeps & tatties’ on our menu along with a whole host of amazing local produce."
Collection or delivery is on 23 January between 3-5pm and more information can be found here.
This Inn in Berwickshire will have a Burns night takeaway menu, which will be available the weekend of the 22 and 23 January.
More information can be found on their Facebook page here.
Head chef Rory Lovie at Dundee's Bridgeview Station will be preparing a takeaway Burns night menu.
Recently this independent restaurant teamed up with The Auld Tram to launch a new takeaway menu, which can be ordered online and delivered to local homes via Zippy D.
Details of the Burns night menu are tbc, but keep an eye on the Bridgeview Station social media for more info.
This Inverness bar is planning a virtual team effort for this year's Burns night.
During the lockdown last year, MacGregor's bar hosted Live at Five and Scotland's Big Session events - virtual live music shows - on their social media, which was streamed to a worldwide audience.
Owner Bruce MacGregor confirmed that they have something similar in the pipeline for Burns night.
Find out more here.
This voluntary organisation, which provides personal development opportunities, has plans to host a virtual Burns night on 23 January.
JCI Edinburgh usually host a Burns night gala and ceilidh, but this year have gone virtual.
The team promise 'the usual good Scottish banter, poetry and lots more.'
Tickets are a minimum £2 charge plus Eventbrite fee, with more information on their Facebook page.
Tot Nosh, which provides creative cookery classes for parents and toddlers to enjoy together will be holding an online parent and child burns night class.
Follow them on social media to find out more.
Scran episode 7: Burns Night Special - the expert's guide on what to eat and drink
