WHILE many people may consider haggis as a purely Scottish delicacy, a local butcher is busy preparing for his own Haggis season.

John Brown of Brown's Butchers, in Market Place, Chorley, produces some of the best haggis for miles around and a Preston lecturer is one of his best customers.

Though the Scottish delight is most associated with Burns Suppers it is also a hot favourite worldwide at the start of the year to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday on January 25.

And one person who knows her haggis is Edinburgh-born Elinor Carruthers who has lectured at Preston College for 26 years after gaining a degree at Edinburgh College of Domestic Science.

Elinor, from Bamber Bridge, Preston, currently teaches cake decorations at the St Vincent's Road college and was brought up with the renowned Scottish dish.

She said: "John's haggis is delicious -- I adore it. It is so versatile and useful for other meals too. I used to travel two hundred miles back 'home' to ensure I was buying the best quality.

"But now I'm a regular customer at John's shop."

Haggis-fan Elinor has even given the butcher some of her own novel receipes for using the winter delicacy including a tasty Shepherd's Pie!

The family butchers, established 70-years ago, is located next to the covered market in Chorley town centre.

But four years ago a Scottish colleague tipped him off on the delights of the traditional Scottish dish and now he has improved the basic recipe to perfection.

Now sales of John's haggis have risen dramatically over the last couple of years with supplies to the catering and wholesale trade as well as customers in his shop.

Though recipes vary considerably, the traditional ingredients are a natural casing, rough textured sheep's heart, liver, lungs, beef suet, onions, oats and barley plus spices.

Other types of Haggis include smooth, smoked, fish, vegetarian and even game varieties. At Burns Suppers it is paraded in on a hot platter -- often preceded by a piper -- ahead of the 'Address of the Haggis' and plenty of alcoholic merriment.

And John and his son Chris are now building up their stocks of assorted weights of haggis in time for the Bard's celebrations later this month.