In tribute to Agnes Broun’s son – Rabbie Burns 23rd – 26th January 2020
* * Starters * *
Vegetable Scotch Broth served with an oven-baked roll £3.75
Haggis Bon Bons served with a Cream of Whisky Sauce £4.50
Scottish Smoked Salmon served with salad garnish, brown bread and a lemon wedge £4.95
** Mains **
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties served with a whisky sauce £10.95
Vegetarian Haggis, Neeps and Tatties with a whisky sauce £10.95
Balmoral Chicken – breast of chicken stuffed with haggis, served on bed of creamy mashed potato and topped with a cream of whisky sauce and vegetables of the day £12.95
Aberdeen Angus Burger topped with haggis, served in a brioche bun with chips & a whisky sauce £11.95
** Desserts **
Cranachan - whipped cream with touch of whisky, toasted oatmeal, honey and raspberries £4.50
Apple Frushie – old Scot’s word for crumble, made with Scottish rolled oats, served with cream, ice-cream or custard £4.50
Scottish Cheeseboard – selection of cheese with oatcakes & pickle £5.50
Please speak to a member of staff if you suffer from any food allergies or intolerances.
Broun’s Bistro Ltd www.thewelltrees.co.uk / [email protected] Tel: 01655 718172
Why Broun’s Bistro?
We wanted to celebrate the fact that Rabbie Burns’ parents met and fell in love in Maybole and without that meeting, Scotland would not have its famous Bard!
Agnes Burns (nee Broun) (17 March 1732 – 14 January 1820),
Agnes Burnes was the mother of the poet Robert Burns. Her father, Gilbert, was the tenant of the 300 acre farm of Craigenton, in Kirkoswald parish, South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Agnes Broun was the oldest of her five siblings, and was aged just 10 when her mother, Agnes Rainie, died. She spent two years looking after the family.
In 1744, after her father Gilbert was remarried to Margaret Blaine, she was sent to live in Maybole with her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Rainie. This grandmother was a repository of much oral tradition, including Scottish songs and ballads. She had no great liking for her two stepmothers, one of whom was several years her junior and this may explain why Robert Burns had no contact with his maternal grandfather.
Agnes attended a dame school held in a weaver's cottage and learned the psalms by heart, picked up some basic reading skills, but writing was not part of her education and she never even learned to write her own name.
Agnes met William Burnes or Burness, eleven years her senior, a market gardener, at the Maybole Fair in 1756. They married on the 3 December 1757 in Ayr, and settled at Alloway, South Ayrshire, living in a clay cottage that William had planned and built himself. Here they were to raise four of their seven children, including her eldest, Robert Burns, born on 25 January 1759.
Agnes was to outlive both her son and husband by several decades.
Mark Twain wrote of her in The Innocents Abroad (Ch. XXXVI): "It reminds me of what Robert Burns’ mother said when they erected a stately monument to his memory: "Ah, Robbie, ye asked them for bread and they hae gi'en ye a stane.