[Food] Old Recipes and Butchers who sell Rabbit

[WATFORD zero]

The inevitable Snipe from you, a complete (Wood)cock.

MMMmmm Woodcock

Roast Woodcock​

Count on two woodcock per person if you can spare it. One will whet an appetite, but leave you wanting for more. Be sure to preheat your oven fully before putting the birds in, otherwise you will crisp neither the bacon nor the woodcock's skin properly. Serve this with grilled polenta, over mashed potatoes, or toast.

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time45 mins

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British

Servings: 2 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients​

• 2 to 4 whole woodcock, plucked and gutted
• 1 tablespoon lard or butter
• 2 slices bacon, cut in half
• 1 celery stalk
• Fleur de sel or other finishing salt
• 1 recipe Cumberland sauce

Instructions​

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Most ovens will require a solid 30 minutes to get to this temperature. As the oven is heating, take the birds out of the fridge. If you want to truss the birds, tie some kitchen twine around their legs. It is traditional to leave the head on the woodcock and jam the beak through the legs to truss it. I think this is weird.
• In an oven-proof frying pan, heat the lard over medium heat for a minute or two. Add the bacon pieces and fry until halfway done. Remove the bacon and set aside.
• Add the woodcock and fry for 1 minute on each side -- don't fry the breast. Remove the birds and take the pan off the heat. Pour off all but a thin sheen of oil.
• When the oven is good and hot, arrange the woodcock in the frying pan breast side up and use pieces of the celery stick to keep them from falling over. Lay a piece of bacon over the breast of each bird and cook in the oven for 6 minutes.
• Remove the bacon, and continue cooking the birds for another 9 to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the fleur de sel. Let them rest on a cutting board as you make the Cumberland sauce.

 

[dazzer6666]

Ate loads as a kid after going shooting/ferreting with my dad. Lovely, tender meat…..most recently had some in a traditional Valencian paella which was excellent. As mentioned above, a lot of mixi around at the moment and warnings not to eat wild rabbit (was discussing this with my neighbour a couple of weeks ago, he keeps me supplied with pheasant and duck) but plenty of suppliers available online.

 

[Easy 10]

My dear old nan (on my dads side) used to make BRAWN - basically mashed up pigs head. She'd go to the butchers in Boundary Road to get the porky treat for us, mash and jellify it in a cereal bowl, let it set in the fridge, then me and my dad would DEVOUR it (my mum and sister were utterly disgusted and happily wouldn't go near it). Oh my god I miss that.

You can buy it off the deli counter in some supermarkets, its a sliced pinky thing from a can. But its all jelly. My nans deep brown-coloured fresh-made pigs brawn was the business.

 

[Weststander]

Ate loads as a kid after going shooting/ferreting with my dad. Lovely, tender meat…..most recently had some in a traditional Valencian paella which was excellent. As mentioned above, a lot of mixi around at the moment and warnings not to eat wild rabbit (was discussing this with my neighbour a couple of weeks ago, he keeps me supplied with pheasant and duck) but plenty of suppliers available online.

A rabbit goes into a bar and asks: “A cheese toastie and a pint, please”.

He eats the toastie, drinks the pint, then leaves.

He walks into the bar the next day and asks: “A ham toastie and a pint, please”.

He eats the toastie, drinks the pint, then leaves.

He walks into the bar the following day and asks: “A cheese, a ham toastie and a pint”.

He eats the toastie, drink the pint, then drops dead.

“Oh dear” says the bar-man, “it looks like another case of mixin’ me toasties”.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Funnily enough, Mrs Wz has just told me to get off the computer as the duck will be ready in 5 mins

 

[Easy 10]

I've always loved Liver but have found recently that Supermarket pre packed liver seems to be awful. I always used to like lambs liver but the only good liver I've had in the last couple of years has been calves Liver from a Butcher

I've just realised I'm edging slowly but inexorably into @BensGrandad territory

You've literally made me shudder.

My mum used to make a liver and bacon casserole, or a steak and kidney pie. As a child, I was disgusted by both. Liver/kidney is equally vile. I would sit at the table and dutifully separate it from the rest of the food so I could at least eat something. Kidney was particularly difficult to distinguish from the steak, in a pie situation. The moment I chowed down on an errant piece of kidney would make me gag.

 

[dazzer6666]

A rabbit goes into a bar and asks: “A cheese toastie and a pint, please”.

He eats the toastie, drinks the pint, then leaves.

He walks into the bar the next day and asks: “A ham toastie and a pint, please”.

He eats the toastie, drinks the pint, then leaves.

He walks into the bar the following day and asks: “A cheese, a ham toastie and a pint”.

He eats the toastie, drink the pint, then drops dead.

“Oh dear” says the bar-man, “it looks like another case of mixin’ me toasties”.

So pleased the thumbs down button is back

 

[dazzer6666]

My dear old nan (on my dads side) used to make BRAWN - basically mashed up pigs head. She'd go to the butchers in Boundary Road to get the porky treat for us, mash and jellify it in a cereal bowl, let it set in the fridge, then me and my dad would DEVOUR it (my mum and sister were utterly disgusted and happily wouldn't go near it). Oh my god I miss that.

You can buy it off the deli counter in some supermarkets, its a sliced pinky thing from a can. But its all jelly. My nans deep brown-coloured fresh-made pigs brawn was the business.

My nan did too….bloody lovely. Bit like a coarse pork pie filling.

 

[Easy 10]

My nan did too….bloody lovely. Bit like a coarse pork pie filling.

Yes a bit like that, but with more jelly.
I bloody love that jelly.

OOH yeah

 

[Questions]

Funnily enough, Mrs Wz has just told me to get off the computer as the duck will be ready in 5 mins

Bloody spellcheck huh

 

[Weststander]

Funnily enough, Mrs Wz has just told me to get off the computer as the duck will be ready in 5 mins

Funnily enough, Mrs Wz has just told me to get off the computer as the duck will be ready in 5 mins

So I went to the Chinese restaurant and this duck came up to me with a red rose and says "Your eyes sparkle like diamonds". I said "Waiter, I asked for a-ROMATIC duck".

 

[Weststander]

So pleased the thumbs down button is back

Genuinely, I hadn’t realised that …. until I got that notification.

You’re a nasty piece of work.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I've always loved Liver but have found recently that Supermarket pre packed liver seems to be awful. I always used to like lambs liver but the only good liver I've had in the last couple of years has been calves Liver from a Butcher

I've just realised I'm edging slowly but inexorably into @BensGrandad territory

It was bound to happen!

I love lambs liver, bacon and onions.
Another suggestion for Sainsburys for frozen rabbit. It’s the one meat I really don’t like.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Sainos West Hove definitely used to do rabbit (and venison in season) a few years ago but not seen it for a while.

Calves liver from a proper butcher and cooked properly is one of the best things on earth. Also, tomorrow I will do a slow roast duck for Sunday dinner. Just a supermarket Gressingham one but will use the neck, heart and kidney bit of the giblets to make a stock for sauce, while the liver gets separated, salted, and seared in butter before being split between me and Mrs GB. I've known her to whinge that I've given myself a couple of millimetres more than her (I did, and probably more than that).

 

[Guinness Boy]

The best rabbit I ever had was in what was pretty much a truckers caff in Brittany when I was 15, served with an incredible mustard sauce. Can still taste it now.

 

[albionfan37]

Get yourself out to Germany mate they sell em in the supermarket

 

[Wardy's twin]

Rabbits are getting quite scarce at the moment - don't think it is mixi, appears to be Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease ... Also people mentioned woodcock, they are on the red list i.e. in decline but still can be shot.

 

[GT49er]

Sainos West Hove definitely used to do rabbit (and venison in season) a few years ago but not seen it for a while.

Just had a look at Sainsbury's on-line. They don't appear to do rabbit any more. They do do ostrich though (not old fashioned food, I know, but interesting!)

 

[Eric the meek]

Southwick Butchers, Southwick Square do rabbit, all manner of offal and a few exotic meats.
Rabbit is usually in the display counter inside the shop, and offal in the freezer cabinet. They also do venison and goat.

We've been going there for a long time.

 

[Norman Potting]

My late dad used to go rabitting with a couple of country friends using nets and ferrets and a Jack Russel for those that escaped. They had a deal with a local butcher to swap rabbits for meat (not sure of the exchange rate).

Never liked rabbit to eat but dad was from the days when it was rabbit or nothing for tea !