A taste of Scotland heads to the English Riviera for Burns Night

The beauty of the English Riviera meets the heritage of Scotland - thanks to bagpiper Paul Jackman.

Torquay is set for a proper Burns Night with Paul lined up to play at the Grand Hotel as part of the hotel’s annual celebration of Scotland’s national poet, Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns.

The event takes place on Sunday January 25, and the hotel is promising a full evening of tradition, including a Scottish arrival drink, a four course dinner (with, of course, haggis), live Ceilidh music and dancing, whisky flights, and the classic Burns Night traditions people look forward to.

Paul has been playing the pipes for 50 years, and while plenty of people know him locally as a piper, fewer people know what he did before that.

Long before he was playing at formal dinners and celebrations, Paul worked as a commercial diver in Scotland complete with full diving kit - a heavy suit and helmet that looks more like a space alien than anything to do with music. 

It is a far cry from the pipes which Paul first started while living and working in Scotland in his twenties. 

A diving accident put him out of action for a couple of weeks, and while he was onshore, he ended up in Inverness, where he heard a pipe band practising. He stopped to listen, and not long after that he found a tutor and started learning.

The rest is history for Paul, who lives in Marldon.

Fifty years later, he is still playing, and Burns Night is still one of the busiest points in the calendar. 

It is a tradition built around music, poetry, and food, usually held close to Burns’ birthday, and it has a structure that people enjoy because it feels like a real occasion without needing any explanation.

At The Grand Hotel, Paul will play as guests arrive and will lead the ceremonial highlights of the evening, including the piping in of the haggis. 

The haggis is brought into the room on a tray carried by the chef while Paul plays, before being placed at the centre of the celebration.

Paul will then deliver the traditional Address to a Haggis, the short Burns poem that marks the start of the supper.

Guests will be welcomed in the hotel’s restaurant with a traditional Scottish arrival drink at 6pm, followed by a four course Burns Night dinner at 6.30pm, inspired by classic Scottish flavours.

Live entertainment will come from Paul’s Ceilidh band “Piping Hot”, and the dancing will follow, with a caller to guide guests through the steps. Ceilidh dancing tends to start cautiously and then turns lively very quickly, particularly once people realise the caller guides you, and everyone else just has to join in.

For those who want to make a night of it, an exclusive selection of whisky flights will be available on the night.

Tickets are £49.95 per person, and booking is available online via Eventbrite, or directly with The Grand Hotel by calling 01803 296677 and selecting Option 2. Guests can also book by email at events.grand@richardsonhotels.co.uk.