Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face

...so begins Robert Burns' poem "Address to a Haggis", which is traditionally spoken aloud with gusto at Burns Night events the length and breadth of Scotland. For those of you who don't know, Burns Night is 25th January (the date which was the bard's birthday) which falls on a Sunday this year, sparking a whole weekend of distinctly Scottish celebrations. In fact most Scots are more likely to celebrate Burns Night than Scotland's more official annual event, St Andrew's Day. Haggis (traditionally eaten with "neeps and tatties" i.e. mashed turnip and mashed potato) and Scots whisky are the two key essentials to a Burns Supper. Formal events will add other traditional elements to that, such as having a bagpiper pipe in the entrance of the haggis, the "toast to the lassies" (by the men to the ladies) and their response to the laddies (both usually very humorous and cheeky, with the lassies getting the last laugh) plus lots of energetic ceilidh dancing. Read more about the Burns Night traditions. Less formal Burns Supper events will keep it simple. It's up to you how formal you want to be but it's really all about having a good time, usually fuelled by plenty of drinks!

Happily there are lots of great things going on for Burns Night 2015 in and around St Andrews. BID St Andrews has compiled a very helpful list of local Burns Night events and offers which I thought I'd share with you. I'm forever trying out new weird and wonderful ice cream flavours - some good, some not so much - so I'm particularly intrigued by the Haggis ice cream which is being served up at The Adamson restaurant in St Andrews this Burns weekend. Will this uniquely Scottish beast work in ice-cream form? There's really only one way to find out! 

Have a great Burns Night wherever you choose to spend it! 

Clockwise from top: Whisky at Kingsbarns Distillery, the bard on a biscuit from Fisher & Donaldson (St Andrews bakers) and a suitably Scottish decanter and fabrics in Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

Copyright Sara Scott 2015

Christmas shopping in the harbour

Anstruther may not be a sprawling metropolis but in East Neuk terms it's the big place you go to do your shopping, often before enjoying those fish 'n' chips that the village is famous for. There are lots of independent shops that I like in Anstruther which are well established but just in time for Christmas there's a new kid in the harbour called "Harbour Interiors".

Harbour Interiors opened on Saturday 29 November 2014 in a flurry of mince pies and spiced hot drinks. It was Sandy and Lynn Davidson's dream and it has taken them a little over a year, living outside Crail, looking for just the right premises and just the right products to make that dream a reality. A huge amount of hard work has gone into creating the shop so opening day was understandably a real celebration for them:

Sandy and Lynn Davidson

Harbour Interiors prides itself on offering the pick of coastal, country and contemporary soft furnishings, home accessories and gifts, right in heart of the East Neuk. Lynn has been in the soft furnishings (curtains, blinds, cushions etc.) business for over 30 years and both she and Sandy are interiors nuts, as anyone who has seen their showhome-like house will testify.

Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

As a relative of Sandy and Lynn I may be a little biased but I think Harbour Interiors is the perfect place to do your Christmas shopping, East Neuk style. So here are 8 Harbour Interiors goodies that I'm adding to my Christmas wish list (Santa I hope you are reading this!):

1. Reindeer cushion

Isn't this reindeer cushion (£10.99) just the cutest, most Christmassy thing ever? (Santa you don't even need to bring me this one as I couldn't wait so I've already got myself one!)

Reindeer cushions, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

2. Noel Christmas decoration

This is a classy, quality Christmas decoration (£4.95). The kind you keep for years and which goes with everything. It has a cute bell too. (Plus Noel is my middle name so it's a must buy for me!)

Christmas decoration, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

3. Willow & Plum soap

These natural soaps look and smell great and are made right here in Fife by the Willow & Plum Soap Co. There are even dog soaps available. Seeing as I don't have a dog (and my cat really does not like baths!) I will stick to the human versions (£3.95) such as "Dark Pomegranate", "Juicy Apple" and "Eucalyptus and Sea Cucumber". 

Willow & Plum Soaps, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

4. Kitchenware from Garden Trading

Hard to pick from the range of Garden Trading kitchenware which Harbour Interiors offers but I reckon the cookie cutters would fit perfectly in my Christmas stocking. 

Garden Trading cookie cutters, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

5. Stylish scarves

Scarves are pretty essential at this time of year in Scotland and Harbour Interiors offers some lovely ones, at very reasonable prices too. Any of these beauties (£6.99) would suit me just fine! 

Scarves, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

6. Tealight holder

Something you can never have too many of, especially at this dark and dismal time of year, is a tealight holder. Lots to choose from:

Tealights, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

But this reusable brass one (£6.95) stuck out for me with its antique, unusual look: 

Brass tealights, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

7. Thomas Kent clock

Harbour Interiors has a beautiful range of Thomas Kent mantle and wall clocks in different colours.

Thomas Kent clocks, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

I may already have lots of clocks but I find there is always space for one more! My favourite is the mantle clock in cream with gold numbers. Classy and petite but with a cheeky wee touch of bling (£21.95).

8. New curtains

Curtains are not only essential but a great way of updating and prettifying a room. A good pair will last you for many years. When it comes to curtains and blinds Lynn really knows her stuff and has made lovely curtains and sourced great blinds for our house in the past. I hadn't appreciated quite how much of a difference a good, well-fitted pair of curtains could make to a room before Lynn showed me the error of my ill-fitting, cheap, ready-made curtain ways. Lynn can bring the fabrics to your home so you can see how they look in the actual room. If you are anything like me and have difficulty visualising what the end result will look like then this helps a lot!

Again there is lots of choice with fabrics from big names Harlequin, Moon and Prestigious Textiles (and more coming soon in the new year) but I thought this painterly fabric from the Prestigious Textiles "Printworks" book was particularly striking and unusual. Perfect for an arty studio! (Santa, did I mention what a good girl I've been?)

A Printworks fabric, Prestigious Textiles, Harbour Interiors, Anstruther

So there you go - 8 things I would love to find at the bottom of my tree this Christmas morning! Merry Christmas everyone!

Harbour Interiors, 3 Shore Street, Anstruther, East Neuk of Fife
www.facebook.com/harbourinteriors

Twitter: @InteriorsAnster

Tel: 01333 278 030

Currently open 7 days

Copyright Sara Scott 2014