Pig’s Ear

Last week, I was given a couple of pheasants. We’re surrounded by them at the moment: every morning on the school run they saunter across the road looking so very now with their glorious autumnal colours, their white neck collars giving them a faintly religious air. I wasn’t sure how to cook the ones I was given but happily, my mother-in-law knew exactly what to do. Namely, throw them in a big pan with apples and calvados. I delivered the frozen birds to her yesterday. But when she tipped them from the bag this morning, pan at the ready, out popped two frozen pigs ears. I’d forgotten that they too were in the freezer, given to me by the butcher for the puppies to chew (just slow roast them in the oven, the puppies will love ’em, apparently). And even though she’s an amazing cook, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Let alone pheasant stew. Talking of which, I did a day’s cookery course with the a-mazing Angela Hartnett earlier this week, at Lime Wood in the New Forest. As well as learning more from Angela in just a few hours vs. years of reading cook books, she showed that it’s mostly about using good ingredients. Even pigs’ ears, no doubt.

Chin chin x

I was a guest of Lime Wood for the day’s cookery course at HH & Co Backstage. Click here for details on their courses. 

And the winner of the Le Creuset Limited Edition Corkscrew is…Helen, from Not Pensive, But Thinking. (Drop me an email Helen, and I’ll get the corkscrew in the post to you before the end of half term!). Thank you to everyone who took part. I wish I had one for all of you x