Burns Night: Tonight's the nicht tae celebrate

Tonight's the nicht we Scots celebrate the one and only Rabbie Burns' birthday. Having never attended a Burns evening, or experienced the addressing of a haggis before, I was extremely intrigued after being invited along to the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) Burns Night event last week. Tae say I couldnae wait is a fair understatement ken?

So off I went, donning my authentic tartan scarf obviously, to find out what was in store... 

Entering the room, Burns' inspiration oozed throughout. Local cocktail bar, Orchid, was out in force serving up cocktails and mocktails of every flavour, whilst the AECC chefs team were busy informing guests of the masterpieces (otherwise known as hor dourves) that were getting served up to guests as St Machar Academy pupils serenaded us with stunning acoustic covers. 

With Burns in the air and everyone in high spirits, I knew we were in for a treat.

I've never been a massive fan of haggis, neeps and tatties. Simplistic in fashion I am, however, not so much with regards to food. However, being Scottish, it wouldn't be right to not indulge in the traditional dish at a Burns Supper.

Our MC for the evening was Roddy from Ree-Time Events, and what a scream he was. Not only was his address to the haggis the most enthusiastic I have ever seen anyone address food in my life, but his passion seeped through his voice, wowing guests with his dramatic demonstration.

Taking us through a musical adventure throughout our Scottish cuisine experience was local singer, Myke Black. Soulful in voice the fine gent captured his audience with a number of unique acoustic covers. 

As the courses were served our Robert Burns knowledge was put to the test, Eight gruelling questions about the Scottish patriot later, and suddenly I had learned a lot more about this fascinating chap than I ever had at school. 

Our three-course meal was to be like nothing I had experienced at a dinner before...For starters we were presented with a taste of Scotland in the form of haggis, neeps and tatties, perfectly positioned on the plate in a not so traditional way.

For main, a trio of dishes of the highest-quality Scottish produce was served including: fresh Scottish salmon, venison, and pork and apple sausages. The three artisan small taster dishes all sported a huge differentiation in taste, texture and presentation, which was a much-loved touch. Three bowls playing host to three very delicious dishes.

In true fashion, the dessert really was the showstopper for me. 'Make your own dessert' stations were assembled for the ravenous guests to put their confectionary skills to the test. With the help from the AECC's top chefs everyone was invited to try their hand at numerous different skills and techniques including: chocolate tempering, spherification, working with melted sugar and piping.

Getting up-close and personal with the chefs was extremely refreshing at this sort of event. Hearing about their top tips throughout these special one-to-one moment's was any budding bakers dream, although a patisserie chef I am not...

After a fun-filled evening of eating and drinking, the AECC had one last trick up its sleeve. It's very own version of in-door Highland Games. With in-door caber tossing, curling, whisky tasting and the opportunity to learn how to play the bagpipes, Scottish heritage surrounded us, in every corner. The annual event was a huge success in my eyes and I urge anyone who gets an invitation to such a showcase to get richt in there and enjoy every second of it.

Happy birthday Rabbie, have a good yin.

  For Now...

Just Julia

Kevin bridges: A night with the AECC

What do you get when you put a well-known Scottish comedian in front of nine sell-out audiences in the oil and gas capital of Europe...a kick-ass comedy show, that's what you get.

I've been a massive fan of KEV.I.N Bridges for as long as I can remember, so it's no surprise when I was invited along to one of his 'A different kind of story' shows as a guest of the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), that I would jump at the chance of seeing him live again.

Our evening was to begin before the show, upstairs in a intimate room in the main building where we were treated to pre-show dinner and drinks. Being the food enthusiast I am, my eyes went straight to the menu, once I had made introductions with the other guests of course. We were treated to a two-course meal prepared by the AECC catering staff. The menu was very different to the usual banqueting menu of chicken and beef; which I was anticipating, so was pleasantly surprised to see duck, sea bass and mushroom risotto on the menu. I opted for the duck, it was deliciously succulent and was extremely easy to cut into. For dessert it had to be the chocolate brownie of course (see my pervious post on my love of brownies) and boy was it worth the battle I had endured to get it. (Some other guy was eyeing it up when I was taking photos of the gingerbread house, resulting in major panic in almost losing my beloved - you can't imagine my relief when he picked another dessert).

Seared and Roasted Duck Breast, Confit Leg Bon Bon with Star Anise and Ginger Carrot Puree, Braised Pak Choi, Spiced Red Cabbage, Soy Glaze and Toasted Sesame Seeds

Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Ginger Spiced Bon Bon, White Chocolate Sauce and Raspberries

After dinner we were then taken down to the main exhibition arena where we took to our seats. Eleven rows back may I add, pretty snazzy seats indeed. We arrived just as the support act, Karl Spain, took to the stage. For the next 30 minutes Karl entertained the audience telling us jokes about his life, his wife, and some childhood experiences which literally brought tears to my eyes, tears of hilarity that is.

What I've always loved about Kevin Bridges is his ability to tell stories in the most interesting, but humorous way. From his 'gee us a quid or your getting stabbed' joke a few years ago, to the new material he produced reciting half of Wikipedia back to us, due to his unfortunate incident with a new neighbour, Kevin really did pull out all the stops regarding his performance. 

A main vocal point throughout his act was his very noticeable weight loss, and his attitude to food during his younger years. He talked about those 'gym posers' we are all so familiar with and a personal trainer who it seems has a vendetta against fruit, carbs and everything 'yella' (yellow). What really did it for me was how he had lied to his personal trainer/nutritionist about what he had eaten for breakfast; this had me in tears as all I could picture was myself many years ago lying to my mum about what I'd eaten for lunch at school, classic.

His performance was also based around his childhood, touching on times in his life he was grateful to have the family he does. I really enjoyed his stories and how humble he came across on stage. I'm a fan of those individuals who stay grounded to their roots and Kevin truly comes across as someone who is. Although I must admit, I'm just grateful I'm not the hoose rice of my friends! (You'll have to buy the DVD to understand this if you didn't catch the show, but I promise it will be worth it!)

All in all Kevin was outstanding, although I've probably broken some photography law taking the above pictures slyly resulting in me annoying half of the stewards at the AECC (sorry guys, a girls got to do what a girls got to do for her blog!). He continually engaged with the audience throughout the show and even encouraged them to tweet him questions, so he could come up with more jokes at the end of the show. A great touch to round the evening off.

The evening was a remarkable experience and one I will not forget for a long time! Thanks again to all at the AECC, your hospitality was impeccable and very much appreciated.

  For now...

Just Julia