On the 25th the Scottish chef’s putting on haggis, smokies and Angus beef in the poet’s honour.260-262 Merton Road, London SW18 (020-8870 9244). From Monday 19 until the end of this month there are set menus starring haggis and other trad delicacies.13-15 Eccleston Street, London SW1 (020-7730 6922)New InnThis may be a poshed up Cotswold pub and restaurant but the kilt-wearing owner is putting on the full haggis supper, with shortcake for afters and whisky throughout on 24 and 25 January (Burns Night itself).Coln St Aldwyns, Glocs (01285 750651)The CountyFormer Raymond Blanc scholar chef and landlord is loyal to his native Edinburgh at this time of year. I’m not sure whether they’ll be piping in the haggis, but if the dining room is as quiet as it was when we visited, it might be the only occasion you’ll actually welcome the sound of the bagpipes.SECOND HELPINGS: A TASTE OF SCOTLANDBy Caroline StaceyBoisdaleFlies the saltire for Scottish fare year round, with fine game, beef, cheeses and whiskies. The cooking just didn’t deliver.Having said that, if you fancy a really grown-up Burns Night – Monty Burns rather than Robbie Burns – Patterson’s is putting on a special six-course menu from 19 to 25 January, including haggis with neeps and tatties, Aberdeen Angus beef and Meg Dods syllabub, for £40 a head. A shame, because we both so wanted to like Patterson’s: the wine list is reasonably priced, you’re left to fill your own glasses, and at £35 for three courses, the set-price menu structure isn’t outrageous for well-heeled Mayfair. In the words of the Selkirk Grace, “Some hae meat and cannae eat.” And I couldnae.Fruit crumble with cr? br? ice cream, and a selection of French and Scottish cheeses rounded off what was a pretty dull meal.

Soon he would be on to the Rugby World Cup, and all would be lost. Actually, a rugby player would have had more luck with the dish than I did; the shiny, golden dome of pastry tasted stale and flabby, while the steak was overcooked. “That’s Scottish, all right,” observed Harry.He was also outraged at the use of Aberdeen Angus in that quintessentially English dish, Beef Wellington, and started muttering about another noble Scottish beast crushed under the rubber heel of the English oppressor. The accompanying oxtail sauce and pearl barley combined to replicate the filling of a steak pie, and there were no green veg. For Harry, the house special, a smoked haddock souffl?with its spectacular puffy crust broken at the table and a rich chive and caviar sauce poured in.

Wonderful to look at, but slightly earthbound in texture, it was still a noble end for a fine piece of Scottish fish.Raymond Patterson’s background in gentlemen’s clubs is evident in the size of his portions; our main courses were on the hearty side, with a slab of monkfish in particular suffering as a result; it was simply too large to cook through without getting a little chewy. The accent is serious French, rather than Scottish; foie gras ballotine with Sauternes jelly, Dover sole with lobster tortellini, braised rump of lamb with Dauphinoise potatoes.The amuse-bouche, a wild mushroom velout?started things promisingly. There are no visual signifiers to reinforce the Scottish connection. In fact, the place couldn’t feel less Scottish if there was a signed photo of David Beckham hanging over the bar.Nor does the menu make a big deal about its ingredients, many of which are sourced from Scotland.