Wednesday 12 January 2011

Spoon

3. Scottish deer horn and silver spoon.

This spoon was probably given to me as a christening gift, although there is no one, now, who can confirm this. The horn bowl is battered with use. In childhood, unlike metal, it was soft against the teeth and the long, gently curving handle easy to grasp. The family always referred to it as, 'Rosemary's haggis spoon' and I am the only person who has ever used it.
Haggis was eaten quite often in our house because visiting relatives from Scotland always brought one as a present for my mother, marooned as she was in Yorkshire without any proper Scottish sustenance.
My rather elegant looking spoon no doubt lent an air of ceremony to eating what is, after all, no more than spiced offal and oatmeal trussed up in a sheep's stomach until it resembles a cannon ball.
Haggis with 'neeps an' tatties' - what a feast!

3 comments:

  1. That's a really beautiful wee spoon. I love haggis. My Turkey stuffing this year was made from one third classic sage & onion, and two thirds good quality haggis. It was delicious.

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  2. Oh yes, it's really beautiful. And those little ball on the end of handle...

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  3. What a beautiful and unusual spoon. As for haggis, I had never tried one until I married into Amandas scottish family, lovely! Roll on Burns night.

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