He was known as the Bard of Ayrshire, the Ploughman’s Poet and even dubbed ‘the greatest Scot of all time’ by Scottish national television, so it only seems fair that we celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns with a traditional Scottish knees-up each year.

Just because you aren’t spending old Rabbie’s birthday, which is now known simply as Burns Night, in the Highlands of Scotland, it doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate in style.

Cumbria borders Scotland and we Northerners often feel a close affinity with all things Scottish. There are also plenty of Scottish natives who have settled in south Cumbria who will be using Burns Night as an excuse to have a few wee drams.

So just what happens on Burns Night and how do we go about celebrating in South Cumbria?

Usually a Burns Night party is made up of traditional Scottish fare such as a haggis supper with the traditional Scottish tipple of whisky.

At The Farmers Arms pub, in Market Place Ulverston, owner Roger Chattaway, head chef Bruce Chattaway and pub manager Peter Thompson will be getting into the Scottish spirit by offering a Burns Night themed dish on the menu, a whisky cocktail and four different malt whiskys to sample for any enthusiasts.

Head chef Bruce Chattaway said: “We will be serving haggis for the whole week from January 23 to 29 to celebrate Burns Night.

“Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck; minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach.

"We get ours from Irvings Butchers just down at the bottom of Market Street and will be serving it with the traditional tatties and neeps which are just potatoes and turnips but cooked in the Scottish way.”

If you have never tried haggis then this might be the year to give it a go. Having never before tried the dish I sampled Bruce’s at The Farmers and was so pleasantly surprised to find that it is delicious.

If you are a fan of meat and potato pies then I think it is very possible that you will be a fan of haggis and tatties!

The Farmers is a firm favourite with south Cumbrian locals and in honour of Burns Night Rebecca Chattaway and Peter Thompson will be serving up a quirky twist on the whisky-based gentleman’s cocktail, the Old Fashioned.

Rebecca said: “Our Burns Night cocktail is called the ‘Smoky Loch Lomond’ and to make it you need....

Scotch Whisky

Drambuie

Dry Vermouth

and a twist of lemon.

“Traditionally this drink would be poured over ice in a short glass but you can add orange juice or soda to create a long drink. We will also be serving a Gaelic coffee with a kick.”

Many places choose to sing the traditional Scottish anthem Auld Lang Syne, which was written by Robert Burns himself. The poet wrote more than 550 well-known poems and songs before his death in 1796 with two of the most famous being ‘Tam O’Shanter’ and ‘A Red, Red Rose’.

However if you’re tucking in to a haggis supper then it is often best to start the night with Burns’ ‘Address to Haggis’ which is an ode to the classic dish and a clear sign that it was the poet’s favourite.

You will find that many butchers in south Cumbria stock the dish, including one of Barrow’s favourite butchers, NC Meats, which is situated right in the town centre on Dalton Road.

Butcher Mark Prowle of NC Meats said: “Haggis is one of those things which can be a bit hit or miss but around Burns Night we tend to order it in more regularly.

“We have already had a few people come in today for a haggis and Burns Night is still nine days away. The Scottish people in Barrow always want one for Burns Night and although some people can be put off by the description of a sheep’s stomach, all haggis is really is offal and it has a delicious spicy flavour. It’s all part of the animal and if you give it a chance and try it you might be surprised.”

“Cooking is simple for haggis: it usually just needs to be boiled for about 45 minutes wrapped up in foil.”