Men buying skirts and a run on haggis can only mean one thing - the mighty chieftains are getting ready for their special day.

The preparations for the Scottish celebration of Burns Night tomorrow have meant bulk orders of that chieftain of the puddings, the haggis, have been selling out fast.

Ilkley's top haggis retailers, The Rocky Valley Deli and butchers Lishman's of Ilkley, have been inundated with requests for their Scottish delicacies.

The Rocky Valley Deli, Grove Promenade, has been selling both vegetarian and meat haggis imported in from Macswen's of Edinburgh.

They also have a range of Scottish cheeses and oat biscuits, which have also proved very popular with customers, according to manageress, Cathy Bruce.

"We have been taking lots of orders for haggis and our vegetarian ones are proving very popular. We have had people coming in from across the area and by the time Burns Night is over we will probably have sold 300," she said.

Lishman's of Ilkley are selling their own homemade haggis, which is their own special recipe and it is selling out fast.

Stuart Baker, of Lishman's, said: "There is a very big demand in Ilkley for haggis on Burns Night and we produce our own with a special recipe.

"We are making new batches every day and we expect to sell more than 400. We used to import the haggis from Scotland but since we started making our own last year it has proved just as popular."

Ilkley's kilt suppliers have also had an increase in trade with kilt stockists Time Menswear and Eric Spencer even running out of stock.

Manager of Eric Spencer's, Philip Atkinson said: "We have hired out more kilts than ever before this year, we have sold out of tartan bow-ties and had a demand for tartan waistcoats.

"We find that the majority of people hiring things are usually English people joining in the fun, because Scottish people tend to already have their own outfits."

Burns Night takes place tomorrow, and sees Scottish people sitting down to a formal Burns supper in their traditional evening dress.

The haggis is an essential part of the celebrations and is carried out on a silver plate and then the people at the table stand and toast it in the Address to the Haggis.

Usually a poem by Robert Burns is read out to the haggis before everyone drinks whiskey with oat cakes and a ceilidh begins.

Robert Burns is the national poet of Scotland, who was born on January 15, 1759, and died in 1796. Burns Night celebrates the anniversary of his birthday.