Haggis, or Through Scotland on the Handbrake

(Haggis Ecossais) Life serves up many adventures, for example, when Neapolitans send you to what they claim is the best local pizzeria. You find yourself navigating through narrow, winding streets and past hanging laundry until you come to your destination – more of an open kitchen with a couple of plastic tables than a restaurant. Surprised, you sit and they bring you pizza unlike any you’ve ever tasted, surpassing all others. There was a brief introduction to my Scottish quest for the perfect haggis, their national meat dish. With only a week to work with, I ordered haggis whenever it was on the menu to give it a try, but nothing left a memorable-enough impression to continue dreaming about it. But as fate would have it, on our penultimate day, we drove halfway to Edinburgh unsure of the smells and sounds coming from the car. We quickly veered off the motorway, realising we’d been driving along with the handbrake on. A short way off the main road, we found a garage to fix the car and a neighbouring roadside shack, which turned out to serve the most delicious haggis in the world. Two hospitable hostesses, with enchanting Scottish accents, kindly chatted with us and rewarded us with burgers containing a juicy and tender layer of haggis. Minced sheep offal, lungs, heart, liver, beef suet, onions and oats – not the most mouthwatering of ingredients, but trust me, the result is nothing short of amazing.