There has been a gastronomic revolution in London. For some years, the Boisdale restaurants, often mentioned here, have featured Macsween’s haggis, made in Edinburgh. It is a good drop of haggis, and the various Boisdales were using around four-and-a-half tons a year. Ranald Macdonald decided that it was time to review the competition. There was a blind tasting, and Blackface haggis won easily.
Made from Dumfriesshire Blackfaces, slightly less granular than Macsween’s but somewhat more sheepy and peppery, it excited the judges in a way that Macsween’s failed to do. With it, we drank various varieties of St Cosme. The most eccentric and indeed truculent winemakers in Gigondas, they may well also be the best. Their wines can stand up to haggis.
There is a piquancy here, not only due to the pepper. Dr Johnson’s truism about Scotsmen, best prospects and England has long since become a cliché.
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