New '˜British haggis' label causes a stushie

The haggis has been branded to appeal to a wider market. Stock pic.

A Glenrothes firm caused a stushie last week after labeling Scotland's national dish as the '˜Great British Haggis'.

In a bid to broaden its appeal, Stahly Quality Foods packaged the haggis in a cardboard cover emblazoned with a tartan-accented Union Jack flag and the logo “Traditional haggis in a skin. Made with the finest British ingredients.”

But the move – which comes shortly after‘strawberrygate’ when Tesco removed the Saltire from Scottish strawberries and used a Union Jack – has fired up controversy.

On Twitter, Sandy said: “Haggis should always be promoted as Scottish. British Haggis is just wrong.”

Ysabelle Stewart commented: “I don’t think most folk in the rest of the UK expect haggis to have a British label, let alone ‘Great British’.”

In response a spokesman for the company said the firm had been “a proudly Scottish, family run butcher since 1923.”

He added: “Our haggis is created to our own special recipe and is loved in Scotland and across the world.

“The newest addition to our haggis range is of course essentially Scottish (made in Scotland with Scottish ingredients) but with packaging that aims to broaden the appeal of our classic national dish.”

He concluded: “We’re confident this haggis will be enjoyed by new and existing customers alike.”