Shoppers in Scotland were left perplexed when Waitrose’s Burns Night meal deal failed to include the essential Scottish side dish, neeps. The £12 dine-in offer, which includes a main, two sides, and a dessert, saw the beloved mashed turnips excluded, much to the dismay of Scots customers.
Missing the Mark for Burns Night
The issue came to light after a concerned shopper contacted the Sunday Mail, prompting an investigation at two Waitrose locations in Glasgow. Both stores were found to have no neeps available for the Burns Night offer. According to staff, the absence of mashed turnips was due to English shoppers’ preference for focusing on haggis, leaving the traditional neeps out of the equation.
To further add to the confusion, the meal deal also lacked traditional Scottish dessert options like cranachan or clootie dumpling, replacing them with Italian tiramisu and strawberry trifle. A spokesperson for Waitrose commented that while customers could still purchase loose turnips and swedes, “Waitrose meal deals are like the best-laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men,” suggesting that customers enjoy the “rustic labour” of preparing their own neeps.
However, David Vennard, a Burns Night speaker and past president of the Glasgow and District Burns Association, was not impressed. Speaking before a performance of “Tam O’ Shanter” at a Burns event, Vennard remarked, “Waitrose have gone awry with not getting the true recipe of a Burns Night, which is haggis, neeps, and tatties. They should have done their research a bit better. Haggis, neeps, and tatties is the stalwart for a Burns Night.” He added that in some larger Burns suppers, steak pie is sometimes served with haggis, neeps, and tatties as a starter, but all three must be included, preferably with whisky sauce.
While Vennard was critical of the meal deal’s omissions, he did note that a trifle could pass for dessert if “laced with a bit of rum.” The Sunday Mail also discovered that Waitrose’s Burns Night offer included various Macsween Haggis products, including a vegetarian version, though the side dish options offered, such as mashed potato and wild garlic baby potatoes, were missing the critical neeps.
