Rabbit

This being the two rabbits from the fish stall at Borough Market, as noticed at reference 1. Cut up at the stall with each rabbit each yielding four quarters and two middle sections cut the other way. The two of them weighed in at 3lbs 8oz.

Our rabbit recipes were all much of a muchness, except as regards the cooking time which varied between 90 and 240 minutes. I thought maybe 150 minutes.

Started off with 150 grams of smoked back bacon in the stock pot, in a little oil and garlic. Thin cut, without the rind, in the Sainsbury's way. One wonders how much smoke was involved, but cut into one inch squares, was good enough for present purposes.

Added in the rabbit at 11:10, heading for 13:30. Browned it a bit, then added 750cc of water and some orange-segment-chopped onion at 11:30.

Well off cooked at 12:30, much better at 13:15 when I added a little leek and two parsnips. As it turned out, the parsnips were something of an inspiration, a fine alternative to the apple suggested by some of the recipes.

Strained the stew at 13:40, getting around 500ml of liquor. Roux'd it up with around a rounded tablespoon of flour, then pouring it back over the rabbit and warming the whole lot up again.

Rice and white cabbage prepared on the side.

Forks down at 13:50. First shift not bad. I thought the cooking was spot on, though I say it myself, but I was a bit disappointed by the fishy taste to the rabbit. Maybe I had the bits that were next to the fish in the delivery lorry. Feeding the rabbit something based on fish meal seemed a bit improbable.

Much better, warmed up again in the oven, on the second outing, the following day. Odd.

The last joint was boned and together with the rest of the stew put through the food mixer. Add some fresh vegetables, still more vegetables on the side and good for a third outing.

An interesting experience. We shall see how long it takes to repeat it!

PS 1: the mother of a friend of BH's, a good cook, would never eat rabbit. Her story was that she had had to eat far too much of the stuff during the second war and never wanted to see one again. And around the time we were eating rabbit, it got a mention in our evening dose of Davies Maigret, an adaptation of the story at reference 2. On the television, it was the alternative to the oysters Maigret wanted, not present because the tide was all wrong. I checked in the text and the rabbit was there too.

PS 2: we thought the rabbits were very good value. Maybe people are put off them for the same reason that they are put off real kippers. Far too much like animals and far too many small bones. No pellets though, so farmed rather than shot.

PS: 3: buying rabbit from the fish man is not so odd. When we were young, some fishmongers did double as game dealers, offering rabbits, hares, pheasants, grouse etc.

Gemini agrees with me! I was interested to read the bit abut Mac Fisheries, the Petty Cury branch of which I used to use regularly as a child, doing the family shopping in Cambridge on a Saturday morning. I don't remember the poultry and game side, but maybe that will come back to me.

Gemini also knows all about rabbits in the 1950s and the decline triggered by the outbreak of myxomatosis.

And on a supplementary, he was happy to explain why meat is different from fish in this regard; a big point being that fish, when alive, are adapted to being much colder than animals, with most of these last that we eat being warm blooded. I suppose one could mark him down for not thinking to include some of this in the first place. Not, I think, something that I had ever thought of before.

Bing turns up the snap above, from 1960, and that does not trigger any more memories, at least, not yet. But I do remember that the heavy end of the late lamented Heffer's bookshop was in the same street - with the light end being more central. I still have the odd picture which was framed on the top floor of the light end.

I also associate to the Leadenhall Poultry Market near Liverpool Street Station in London, now given over to a variety of shops and restaurants. A lot of candles, soap and New Age at one time, at least as I recall. Perhaps it is a bit too grand for that sort of thing now.

PS: regarding Saturday shopping, once I was at secondary school, I was at school on Saturday mornings. So was I doing the shopping while still at primary school, or was I doing it Saturday afternoons? No memory trace to help with this yet - other than that butchers and fishmongers were often shut quite early on Saturdays. Contrariwise, Cambridge market - then full of market gardeners from the fens - now rather degenerate - was still running when it got dark in the winter, complete with strings of lights. I also remember that my older siblings had stuff of the same sort to do, before me. Which included going to the bank. While you don't see many lone children in Sainsbury's these days. And those that you do see are apt to be in small, snack-buying herds, not something I recall happening in my day.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv6.blogspot.com/2026/03/little-case-second-day.html.

Reference 2: Maigret à l'école - Georges Simenon - 1954.