Scot-Irish holiday: St Andrews feast on 30 November

Annually, the emigrants of the Brandywine Valley gather together to celebrate their patron saints. One such saint is St Andrew; the patron saint of Scotland. Many of today’s population are of Scot-Irish decent and embrace both cultures and traditions.

November 30 is the traditional fest day of St. Andrew; however, Wilmington celebrates the holiday on the nearest Sunday to the feast day. This year festive celebration will be on December 6th. Many Scots and Irish gather together in local pubs or homes to eat traditional foods and listen to bagpipers. Others listen while poets recite the Ode to the Haggis by Robert Burns. Kilts and tartans are the costume of the day.

A typical dinner menu for the night:

Cock-a-leekie soup

Haggis (this is a dish of liver, oatmeal and spices cooked in a casting. Most of us prefer the fish and chips to the Scot tradition of Haggis and mashed potatoes).

Mashed potatoes

Mashed Rutabagas

Peas

Shortbread

The Cock-a-Leekie Soup

·         1 small boiling chicken

·         1 lb. leeks, thoroughly washed and cut into small pieces

·         10 cups of chicken stock

·         2 tbsp. long grain white rice

·         2/3 cups dried prunes (soaked overnight)

·         1 bay leaf

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Place the Chicken in a large pot with the stock, leeks, bay leaf, and seasoning. Bring to a boil ant then skim off the fat. Simmer for two to three hours or until the chicken is tender. Remove chicken, discard skin and bones. Cut chicken into small pieces and place to the side. Again, skim off any fat, add rice and simmer for another 30 minutes. Place the chicken back into the pot. Check seasonings for taste. Reheat for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serves 6-8

The Shortbread

·         2 sticks butter

·         ½ cup confectioners’ sugar

·         2 ½ cups flour

·         1 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sugar, and work in the flour and baking powder. Press into a baking pan and prick it all over with a fork. The size of the pan determines what thickness you want the shortbread to be. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Immediate after taking it out of the oven, cut into squares. Let cool.

Serve with a good single malt scotch or very good holiday tea.