IT’S probably the ultimate in takeaway food. However, it took more than Deliveroo to get a haggis into space.
To celebrate Burns Night – and possibly as a wee bit of a publicity stunt – Scottish butcher Simon Howie worked with space
education and research firm Stratonauts to launch a 454g haggis from Perth and Kinross to the final frontier.
It’s not often haggis defies gravity, but the high-flying pudding, attached to a weather balloon, soared more than 20 miles (107,293ft) above the Earth – equivalent to nearly four times the height of Everest.
READ MORE: Simon Howie: Butcher makes history with first haggis in space
After taking off from the Simon Howie headquarters in Dunning, it travelled over Stirling, Falkirk, Edinburgh and the Pentland Hills before landing safely in Lauder in the Borders.
It is a relief the haggis came back down to Earth. I can’t imagine what any alien beings out there would think if they stumbled across such an offering.
Alien A to Alien B: “All these light years we’ve been thinking Earthlings are clever and sophisticated. Now we learn they eat the innards of an animal stuffed back into its own stomach. Let’s not bother invading after all.”
Meanwhile, Howie said he wanted to start the year by “lifting the spirits of the general public” and was thrilled to work with Stratonauts “to take Scotland’s national dish to new heights”.
He added: “It has been a difficult time and I’m incredibly proud of everyone that works for me, from increasing production to support the supermarkets through the period of panic-buying to the demands of Christmas production and now Burns – we are working round the clock to produce over one million haggis and feed over three million customers.”
The Scottish delicacy was flying for two hours, 37 minutes, and covered a distance of 52 miles. It has now been safely transported back to company HQ, where it will be preserved for years to come as the “first haggis in space”.
Howie said it is hoped the mission sparks intergalactic and scientific interest in young people.
Once the current Covid restrictions are lifted, the company plans to run workshops in partnership with Stratonauts in local primary schools to encourage more pupils into science, technology, engineering and maths-related careers.
Lewis Campbell, Stratonauts director, said: “Launching from Dunning was challenging due to the winds as we needed to ensure a safe retrieval of the footage and of course the ‘space haggis’ itself.
“Having monitored the weather for weeks, a window of opportunity finally presented itself – and what a window it turned out to be. Perfect conditions.
“After reaching over 107,000ft with views of at least 250 miles, the haggis then fell to Earth at nearly 200mph before the parachute
took over – meaning it is also probably the fastest haggis in the world too.”
What would Burns have thought when addressing this pioneering haggis?
Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the space race!
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