200 lbs of haggis: Robbie Burns Day means brisk business for Yukon's Scottish butcher shop

Tom and Jill Carmichael have been doing their part to bring a bit of Scotland to Canada's North, each Robbie Burns Day. Their Scottish Baker Butcher Shop, south of Whitehorse, has become Yukon's go-to stop for authentic haggis.

"Everybody comes in, 'oh, we know you're making it because we can smell it outside — it's all over the neighbourhood,'" said Jill. 

Haggis is Scotland's traditional dish and it's usually enjoyed as part of a "Burns supper", in celebration of the beloved poet Robert Burns' birthday on Jan. 25. Recipes will vary, but a traditional haggis is typically made up of sheep organs mixed with oatmeal, onions, spices and stock, encased in a sheep's stomach.  

Tom, who grew up in Scotland, says he spent years perfecting his own recipe, using beef heart and liver and a large piece of intestine as the casing. He'd often get his parents to sample his experiments.  

"We worked on it. We had quite a few failures before we had a thumbs-up," he said.

Now, the Carmichaels have been selling more haggis in recent years, to people all over the territory. 

"This year, we've upped the batches ... there's 200 pounds of it out there right now," Tom said.

"I've been told by some of the locals that they have gotten into some heated conversation around this country, and in Scotland — they claim that the best haggis in the world is made here.

"I tend to agree with them."