'Little Scotland': Corby butcher 'caught on the hop' by haggis demand

Dave Hadden admits to being "caught on the hop" by demand for haggis this year

A butcher in a town nicknamed "Little Scotland" has had to order more haggis from north of the border after an unexpected surge in demand.

Corby in Northamptonshire earned the name after thousands of Scottish steel workers moved there from the 1930s.

Dave Hadden believes his shop is "the last man standing", supplying Scottish provisions such as haggis, which is an essential for Burns Night suppers.

"I've been caught on the hop this year," he admitted, after selling out.

Paul McKenna, right, loves keeping Scottish heritage alive in Corby, decades after moving to the town as a teenager

"It's selling fast, more than I thought it would be, so we've got emergency provisions coming down from Scotland," said Mr Hadden of D & L Hadden.

According to the 2011 census, 7,765 people in the town's population of 61,255 were born in Scotland - some 12.7%.

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They include Paul McKenna, who arrived in the town aged 15.

"My parents moved down for the steel works, I've been here for over 40 years, settled in the town - and I consider myself proudly Scottish," he said.

"I'm a member of the Scottish Tartan Army, we travel to football games and we love the aspect of keeping the heritage and Scottish-ness alive in the town."

What is Burns Night?

• It is an annual celebration of Scotland's national poet Robert Burns held on 25 January

• Burns Night or Supper is celebrated with a dinner of haggis, neeps, and tatties - mashed turnips and potatoes

• Haggis is a crumbly sausage, with a coarse oaty texture and a warming peppery flavour

• Burns' poem Address to a Haggis is read out at the supper

Source: BBC/BBC Good Food

The iron and steel industries have mostly disappeared from Corby since a British Steel works closed in 1979.

But traditions introduced by the Scottish workers, such as Highland Gatherings and Burns Night, continue to be marked.

Mr McKenna has already attended a Burns Supper on Saturday night.

He said: "On Burns Night, it'll be a family occasion, we'll get some haggis, we'll get some neeps and tatties and just enjoy it."

Meanwhile, Mr Hadden hopes his last-minute order will arrive on time.