Vegan haggis will be on many people's menu next Burns Night as Cerys Matthews enthused about the dish in her book Where The Wild Cooks Go: Recipes, Music, Poetry, Cocktails. Her favourite celebration is on 25 January when, after the indulgence of Christmas, and one's liver has recovered, there's a chance to celebrate once more, and read poetry by the wonderfully radical Robbie Burns.
Out of 120 recipes from around the world, inspired by the countries she has visited, there are plenty for meat and fish eaters, too. She describes it as a "folk cookbook", using ingredients that are simple and seasonal, quick to prepare in the kitchen or on the campfire, and delicious to eat: "sharing bread and memories".
She starts in the American Deep South, then journeys to Mexico and Jamaica and makes her way over to Spain, a country her father adored. When Cerys was 18, she put a guitar on her back and travelled through the country to learn about flamenco, a gypsy tradition that can be traced back to Rajasthan.
Ireland is one of her favourite countries, having travelled there many times on the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare. This prompted her on stage to concoct a cocktail she called 'Death by Chocolate' with Guinness as a vital ingredient. Sharing this with her interviewer, John Mithinson of QI, and some of the audience, she said "It's the perfect antidote if you hate Christmas shopping".
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