Sodexo Prestige, the hospitality specialists behind several of Scotland’s most prestigious venues, recently catered for a Burns Supper with a difference, featuring Irn Bru and Scottish TV stars, all in the name of charity.
The 15th Microsoft Scotland Annual Charity Burns Supper saw around 600 customers and business partners of Microsoft attend the event at Edinburgh’s exclusive National Museum of Scotland.
Expert chefs behind Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, catering partners at the well known venue, were tasked with the job of creating a unique menu that broke the boundaries of a traditional Burns Supper. They came up trumps with a stunning meal featuring some iconic ingredients.
With Microsoft doubling the charitable donations made by those attending the event, the software company has chosen to split the money between three local Scottish charities – Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Aberlour Child Care Trust and The Bridges Project.
Proving to be a star studded event, Mark Cox and Jane McCarry, otherwise known as ‘Tam’ and ‘Isa’ from the hugely popular BBC 2 programme, Still Game, made a surprise appearance to give a not so traditional, ‘Toast to the Lassies’ and ‘Reply to the Toast’.
The exclusive event also saw Len Murray and Duncan Crawford, both of whom are well known in Burns circles, perform ‘Immortal Memory’, a speech celebrating aspects of Burns life and poetry, and ‘Holy Willie’s Prayer’, for guests in attendance.
Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events demonstrated their culinary prowess at the event by creating a quirky menu featuring haggis, locally sourced Ayrshire pork and a dessert made from Scotland’s iconic fizzy drink, Irn Bru.
Stephen Frost, Divisional Executive Chef for Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, said: “The menu for this event was a great opportunity for our team of chefs to think outside the box and get creative.
“As there was an obvious Burns theme, we included traditional ingredients such as haggis and neeps in our starter by creating a delicious haggis and russet pakora with spiced turnip, onion chutney and a creamy dipping sauce.
“In our main, we decided to do something a little different and featured pork loin with crispy pork scratching, root vegetables and a delicious parsnip and potato gratin. Always keen to support local Scottish producers, we sourced our pork form a supplier based in Ayrshire.
“But it was our ‘Textures of Irn Bru’ dessert that was the real showstopper on the night, featuring a mouth watering vanilla panacotta with an espuma of Irn Bru sponge and fluid gel, topped off with a mango sorbet and Irn Bru meringue.
“It was great fun to get the opportunity to create such a different Burns menu highlighting some of Scotland’s most iconic produce and it was a privilege to cater for an event that raises money for such great causes.”
To add to the hugely successful event, ‘Bags of Rock’, a popular pipe band well known for their quirky spin on pipe music entertained guests with a top quality performance on the pipes and drums.
Pamela Mundt of Microsoft Scotland said of the event: “We had a fantastic night and of course, the food and service was a big part of that.
“I had asked for something a bit different with the menu and it was certainly delivered. I had felt slightly worried that we might end up with something quirky that was all style and no substance, but each course was as delicious as it looked and went down a treat with our guests.”
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is a charity that looks to research the cause of breast cancer, find new treatments and help Scottish women detect signs of breast cancer early. The charity also looks to ensure that those diagnosed with breast cancer receive the best possible care.
Aberlour Child Care Trust works directly with vulnerable children, young people and their families by assisting with the likes of education and housing, while the Bridges Project looks to unlock the full potential of Scotland’s youth by increasing their employability and helping them to become independent.
Dhiraj%20(R).jpg)
