HIGH LIFE Raising money

THIS MONTH: PIPING IN THE HAGGIS AT BARNSDALE LODGE’S BURNS NIGHT SUPPER...

Piping in the Haggis at Barnsdale Lodge’s Burns Night Supper

IT’S THE MOST POPULAR Burns Night Supper event for miles around, and Warren Browning of Barnsdale Lodge reckons that next year, it’ll need to run over several evenings. Too few restaurants for our liking celebrate the wit and wisdom of Scottish poet Robert Burns, but Exton’s Barnsdale Lodge does it brilliantly. The haggis is a small furry creature native to the Highlands but has, in recent years, been introduced to Rutland, in breeding pairs, in much the same way as its ospreys. Barnsdale Lodge’s example was caught just adjacent to Rutland Water by a local gamekeeper with just a net and the lure of bagpipe music, the sound of which is similar to the female Haggis’s mating call. Normally reclusive and grumpy if disturbed, it can be domesticated if offered neeps, tatties and a place by the fire. Should its temper turn, it can be rendered drowsy with a decent Speyside single malt aged, say, ten years or so. n

Photos: Jonathan Scrimshaw. Words: Rob Davis.

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Oakham All Saints Church NSPCC Concert

ALL IS CALM, ALL IS STILL, but silence proved as elusive as ever at this year’s NSPCC Christmas Carol Concert at Oakham’s All Saints Church. That’s because roars of laughter, raucous carol singing and performances by Foresters Brass and the Harborough Singers once again signalled the beginning of Christmas. Readers lending their wit to proceedings included Rev Richard Coles, barrister David Farrar, hotelier Tim Hart, the BBC’s Anne Davies and antiques expert Lars Tharp. “The 13 concerts so far have raised over £280,000 and helped abused and neglected children. This magical evening has become a prestigious county occasion, in the presence of the Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff, and is always a sell-out.” n

Photos: Richard Adams.