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Available all year round, versatile and great to eat, BASC’s Felicity Tickridge-Marshall makes the case for eating more rabbit and woodpigeon.
What do woodpigeon and rabbits have in common? “They’re both an absolute nuisance!” I hear you exclaim. Possibly, but that’s not where we’re going with this.
“Small children are obsessed with trying to feed them?” Umm, nope.
The answer is that woodpigeon and rabbit are, arguably, two of the most under-utilised types of wild game meat in the UK.
All of you who are now completely incensed because you eat all the pigeons and rabbits you shoot, hear me out.
Depending on what type of shooting you undertake, what jumps into your head when you first think of game meat will probably vary between venison, pheasant, partridge, or some variety of wild duck.
Certainly, if you did a game meat-related straw poll of the general public, venison would probably come out on top, with pheasant and partridge following closely behind.
But what about the outliers? Restauranteurs and chefs aside, who else is pushing pigeon and rabbit into the consciousness of the average current or potential game consumer?
One of the greatest things that woodpigeon and rabbits have going for them is that they are always in season.
Bearing in mind that you must comply with the conditions of the general licences, woodpigeon is sustainable and plentiful.
Rabbit is available all year round, too (subject to conditions in England, Scotland and Wales for moorland habitats), providing a natural bounty when the last pheasant in the freezer is a fond memory of the season past.
Homing in on rabbits for a moment, my own longstanding memory of cooked bunny was it being boiled up on the Aga to feed the dogs when I was about six years old. The smell wasn’t great, and taking nothing away from my Mum’s cooking overall, it was a functional use of the meat rather than a celebration of it.
Thankfully, I’ve watched enough episodes of Masterchef and read enough recipes to know there is much more to rabbit than its meat providing a great meal for the dogs.
Rabbit is delicate, but in a good way. It pairs brilliantly well with flavours such as mustard and leek, which bring out its own natural taste.
It’s also a superb carrier of flavour, providing a cracking alternative to pulled pork for a slow-cooked heady barbeque hit, or made into a rich casserole.
Once skinned, rabbit should be jointed, leaving you with the saddle, loin, front and hind legs, rib, shoulder and belly cuts to work with.
For those of us who are not expert butchers, YouTube provides a superb library of videos on how to butcher a rabbit at home.
Like those who control rabbits, a pigeon shooter is vital in the protection of crops and is a keen friend to farmers across the country.
From an eating perspective, woodpigeon is not only delicious but good for you, too. The meat is lean, high in iron and a great source of B vitamins, phosphorus, copper and magnesium.
Like other gamebirds, pigeon crowns are excellent roasted, first seared in a pan before being transferred to the oven. The legs take longer to cook than the breast, so braise or confit these for the best results. You can also use them to make a delicious stock.
Pigeon breast is best cooked quickly in a pan and left to rest, before being served still pink in the middle.
Pigeon pairs brilliantly with spices and other strong flavours such as bacon and black pudding, but goes equally well with summer vegetables such as asparagus for a lighter dish.
For advice on best practice for handling shot game, including hanging, storage and carcass preparation, head to our advice page here.
The Eat Game website lists details of hundreds of businesses across the country, all of whom supply game meat. From game dealers and butchers, to farm shops and online retailers, you’ll find suppliers local to you (or who will deliver to your door). Click here for more.
If you’re looking for wild British game, it’s worth asking where the rabbits or pigeons have come from before buying. A proportion sold in this country are farmed and exported to the UK from France, rather than roaming freely around the British countryside.
You’ll find many fantastic recipes for rabbit and woodpigeon and other game on the Eat Game website, too. Head to eatgame.co.uk for more.