Cooking: Boil and Mash

Buttery mashed neeps is a Burns’ Night classic for the Scots, an essential accompaniment to haggis (along with whisky). It’s a wonderfully comforting side on other winter evenings as well, and is especially good with sausages and greens. Boiling takes anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the size you’ve chopped your veg. Drain once tender, return to the pan, mash and cook for a few minutes on a low heat to drive off excess water (it risks being watery if you skip this step). Afterwards, mash again, adding plenty of butter, pepper, salt and nutmeg.