And with such a forthright charge, given in strident tones by Lucas Lou, so started the Hawkins\Brown\Burns Night Supper - the first of 25 reasons to be cheerful, and part of our year-long proud celebration of 25 years in business.
On the evening of Friday 25th January the studio gathered at the beautifully refurbished Assembly Rooms of Hackney Town Hall, a recently completed Hawkins\Brown project, to eat, dance and make merry. There were Speyside-flavoured toasts to a fine feast of Cock-a-leekie soup,Haggis, Neeps & Tatties (mashed turnip and potatoes to those South of Hadrian's Wall) and Crannachan – a delicious raspberry, cream and whisky-infused oat dessert.
Within the grand setting of the Assembly Rooms, and led by our Burns chairman Russell Brown - who regaled salacious yarns of wild Rabbie - a few brave and braw HB'ers stepped up to perform some of the Best of Burns back-catalog. Euan Macdonald brought fear to the wee timorous beastie inThe Address to the Haggis; Negar Mihanyer elevated glasses with a Toast to the Haggis; Sally Spencer-Davies soulfully recited A Red Red Rose; Jennifer O'Donnell caused jaws to drop when she beautifully sang Ae Fond Kiss, whilst Roger Hawkins raised brows with a refined rendition of the earthy My Girl She's Airy.
Tradition carried on with a Toast to (Hawkins\Brown &) the Lassies by Regan Appleton, and a fair and fine Response from the Lassies came from Carol Lees, Emma Smart & Shoko Kijima. The evening was breathlessly finished off with a manically-energetic Ceilidh, accompanied by folk band Blackthorn, who brilliantly – and patiently – guided us through Strippin' the Willow to getting familiar with a Gay Gordon!
All in all it was a brilliant night, with a lot of giggling and trodden feet.