Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

50 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Hare and farm-bred rabbit are entirely different flavours and would require very different recipes to cook them.

 

Rabbit is, like so many other meats, quite like chicken although with slightly better texture. It can be very tasty if cooked correctly.

Most definitely, in fact I prefer Hare although it’s pretty damn near impossible to get around here (unless you know a particularly generous hunter, very little is available even from specialist butchers-not that I know of many of those in this part of the world).

The Stationmaster referred to hanging the beasts before using them, but presumably that is the entire carcass, with skin attached, albeit disembowelled. I think that I’ll let the forelegs sit in the fridge for a couple of days before using them, certainly not the same as hanging the carcass in a good larder, but it might improve the flavour
As I wrote before, I don’t think the lack of taste was due to improper cooking but rather inadequate seasoning and a very bland raised, as opposed to wild, rabbit.
One final note thought about butchering, here in Switzerland it is almost impossible to get meat that has been properly butchered and comes well trimmed with fat. Most meat is trimmed to within an inch of its life and is, to all intents and purposes, completely fatless. Not too much of a problem if you have something that you can cook very quickly-such as a T-bone steak; But with other cuts you tend to end up with very dry and tasteless meat.

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by iL Dottore

[Gwiwer]

Welcome to Moan-day.

 

It began badly.  The morning train to the House of Fun failed to operate owing to a "Problem Under Investigation" which is code for "Someone Forgot To Load The Fault Code Into The System".  A brisk walk to Fulwell ensured that I failed to arrive late for duty.  

 

More was to follow.  Points failures.  Train failures.  Awaiting the seemingly inevitable bad news about our future freedom on the radio.  Nota Good Morning.

 

Came home to the news that franchising is effectively dead in the water.  Not really news as it has been thus since March and the present status quo has been widely expected to be the New Normal.  

 

We still await a pronouncement from the House of the Black Door.  Our rearranged Silver Wedding trip is at risk.  Having conceded that Italy was off the agenda some months ago we booked Cornwall instead.  There seems a very real chance that our 25th celebrations will now be just us, indoors at home.  And supermarket delivery slots have suddenly dried up - does the rest of the world know something I don't?

 

I tried to put a smile on a troubled face over lunch but then there was a rather hard piece in the sandwich ..... which turned out to be the side of a molar.  I now have an urgent need of an expensive visit to the tooth-wrangler.  NHS will see you in January, Sir.  Viral conditions permitting.  Or you can see the same dentist in the same surgery for the same treatment on Thursday this week as a private patient .........   

 

Yes.  Welcome to Moan-day.  I hope it has been better for the rest of you.  

[polybear]

6 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

During the conversation Beth revealed that she had been the first officer on the scene st one of the Yorkshire Rippers attacks. Fortunately  the lady survived.  Beth has always just said that she had to guard the scene. Now some 42 years later she has told the full story. It wasn't nice and she had less than a year's service at the time.

 

Anyway there isn't a lot on the agenda today so I will wish you all a good day.

 

Jamie

 

It seems Beth has something in common with "Les Battersby" (of Coronation Street fame) - he also found a victim of The Yorkshire Ripper:

 

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/the-pain-of-les-970515

[Joseph_Pestell]

For me, the NHS will never be a proper health service while it fails to treat peoples' teeth in the same way as the rest of the body.

 

I have had serious dental issues during lockdown and subsequent months. It is certainly a major factor in the rest of my health problems.

[AndrewC]

50 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

One final note thought about butchering, here in Switzerland it is almost impossible to get meat that has been properly butchered and comes well trimmed with fat. Most meat is trimmed to within an inch of its life and is, to all intents and purposes, completely fatless. Not too much of a problem if you have something that you can cook very quickly-such as a T-bone steak; But with other cuts you tend to end up with very dry and tasteless meat.

 

I'm fortunate in having a good quality butcher who only deals direct with farms who meet the Pasture for Life standards. I can get the meat trimmed how I like for BBQ or conventional cooking. They seem to like me as there is always a sigh of relief when I say I don't want a pork belly or brisket trimmed. I prefer to do it myself. Seems though the great public see fat on meat as waste and want as much removed as possible to get the most bang for their buck. As you say, it leads to dry and bland meat. So much of the flavour, especially beef is in the bone and fat. I did a bone in belly in the smoker yesterday and with a reasonable fat cap left on as well as the bones, it was moist, tender, and full of flavour. 

[Tony_S]

28 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

d supermarket delivery slots have suddenly dried up - does the rest of the world know something I don't?

We have had a regular slot for months now but there were none for our usual day next week. A couple of days before or after but not that day. I assumed it was van servicing day or something. We won’t exactly starve though. This has reminded me I was supposed to see about dal (the green sort) is available from our normal online source or if we need to organise an alternative. Sometimes the alternative come in family pack (for big families).

Tony 

PS 

I kept getting messages from Parcelforce greeting me with Hello Tiny. I need to be more careful registering with websites!

[Tony_S]

Update. We can add the dal to our regular shop. Waitrose call them Love Life Lentils. 500gram packs are a handy size too.

 

[Northroader]

Rabbits used to be a very good way of  boosting meat supplies in the days of food rationing. They’re still around, our butcher occasionally does them, and there’s a butcher in Marlborough who usually has some, the butchers have to be licensed for game. Jointed carcass in a pot, with big chunks of fat bacon, onions, carrots, sage, and stew. Yum yum.

[Tony_S]

I don’t think I have ever eaten rabbit. I have had hare though, in Austria not here. 

[simontaylor484]

Afternoon all and greetings

 My insect bites have gone "funny" well one one my left hand has. Hand all red and inflamed cant make a fist spoken to dr on antibiotic and anti histamines.

[simontaylor484]

Various points to catch up on 

 

Andrew c glad to be of help at least all that study has come in useful for something. 

With regard to council complaints you may find it worthwhile to complain to your local mp as well .if you do complain to the council and you not satisfied you can go to the local government ombudsmen. 

Regarding complaints about Surveyors should be directed to the company they work for and any professional body they are goverened by such as RIcs for Chartered Surveyors Riba for Architects and Ritp for town planners. 

[simontaylor484]

I do believe rabbit is not particularly nutritious on its own as it takes as much energy to digest as you get from it 

[Joseph_Pestell]

3 minutes ago, simontaylor484 said:

I do believe rabbit is not particularly nutritious on its own as it takes as much energy to digest as you get from it 

 

True of all meats, I think. But you are not looking to get energy from meat.

[AndyB]

I've heard that beeeding rabbits can be quite hare raising. 

 

Afternoon all.

Early autumn sunshine is making it feel quite summery hereabouts. 

 

Found out the the eldest's final piece of course work that should have been used to assess one of her a GCSEs was lost and never used. Brave of the school to fess up, imho. As she got a "9" it doesn't make any practical difference to the outcome. But it does make you wonder how robust the system was.

 

Hypertension drugs as reported by iD. The quack kept doubling mine till she reckoned the dose should have felled a horse. Changing jobs probably had more effect. I note that they possibly have value in treating covid. 

 

[Barry O]

well.. after a tussle between the clinical research team and the GP (who admitted I was correct ..) and that the tablets have the potential side effects of Metformin I now have a month of tablets "to try".. A glucose Meter is to be acquired as my Glucose Levels may be a little variable for at least a month..

 

Baz

[The Stationmaster]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Most definitely, in fact I prefer Hare although it’s pretty damn near impossible to get around here (unless you know a particularly generous hunter, very little is available even from specialist butchers-not that I know of many of those in this part of the world).

The Stationmaster referred to hanging the beasts before using them, but presumably that is the entire carcass, with skin attached, albeit disembowelled. I think that I’ll let the forelegs sit in the fridge for a couple of days before using them, certainly not the same as hanging the carcass in a good larder, but it might improve the flavour
As I wrote before, I don’t think the lack of taste was due to improper cooking but rather inadequate seasoning and a very bland raised, as opposed to wild, rabbit.
One final note thought about butchering, here in Switzerland it is almost impossible to get meat that has been properly butchered and comes well trimmed with fat. Most meat is trimmed to within an inch of its life and is, to all intents and purposes, completely fatless. Not too much of a problem if you have something that you can cook very quickly-such as a T-bone steak; But with other cuts you tend to end up with very dry and tasteless meat.

 

As far as my gran was concerned it was the entire beast although whether she first squeezed out the bladder (recommended by one web poster - for obvious reasons) I was probably considered rather young to be told.  But otherwise it was the complete animal with nowt else taken out - that bit of fun (to watch) came later although to be honest i always found watching the singeing and drawing of a chicken to be more interesting.

 

We are fotunate in havinga good butcher within 10 miles who we use for more important occasions - such as Christmas - and occasionally at other times.  They make superb pork pies

http://greensofpangbourne.com

We also have one in the town but I think their heads are probably a bit bigger than their skill set as i have heard odd moans about quality of stuff supplied by them, they are also, of course, ludicrously expensive although they do sell locally shot game in season.  

There used ti be a superb game butcher in Reading but their shop closed a good while back although they now sell via a farm shop -

http://www.vicarsgame.co.uk/about.html

Not so close at hand, but excellent for the meat they breed on site is Crazy Bear who hjave a very good farm shop at Stadhampton which we visit occasionally.

http://www.crazybeargroup.co.uk/farm-shop/

All rather out of place when you see the rest of their empire at stadhampr ton let alone their other establishments but the restaurant food at Stadhampton has always been very good in our experience

https://www.crazybeargroup.co.uk/stadhampton/

https://www.crazybeargroup.co.uk

[Tony_S]

37 minutes ago, AndyB said:

As she got a "9" it doesn't make any practical difference t

My brother got a 9 for O level French but in those days a 9 was...

[Coombe Barton]

39 minutes ago, AndyB said:

I've heard that beeeding rabbits can be quite hare raising. 

 

The groan button was made for this!

[The Stationmaster]

22 minutes ago, AndyB said:

 

Hypertension drugs as reported by iD. The quack kept doubling mine till she reckoned the dose should have felled a horse. Changing jobs probably had more effect. I note that they possibly have value in treating covid. 

 

I'd heard this back in March so contacted the GP to see if he could offer any advcice.  He duly rang back later in the day having checked various articles in The Lancet and that sort of thing (not Wiki) and said that up until then the general opinion and experience was that taking certain BP medications (I'd asked about Ramipril) might mitigate some effects of Covid infection in a patient who was already taking Ramipril to reduce high BP.  But for somebody with normal BP levels taking the drug would have no effect on the impact of Covid infection.

[Ian Abel]

Moanday, fortunately nothing to moan about... yet anyway!

 

Managed to get Meagans "chicken cam" set up and working yesterday so she's a happy camper.

Little else as most of yesterday was taken up with the camera wiring etc., since it needed a new box mounting and a trip to the hardware store for supplies. This included the Mrs and Meagan tagging along so we ended up buying a LOT MORE than was required for the camera setup <sigh> 

 

Mrs has a book club tonight - small group that meet outside (weather permitting) and socially distance - so I get to "sort the world out" with my buddy. We're usually banned from some of our discussions by the ladies as we rant slightly too much about the bum-stain in the White house  they agree but don't like to hear it perpetually, and WE could rant forever

 

15 and hazy/smoky overcast first thing, clearing expected later with a high of 26 on the cards.

 

Tally ho.

Edited September 21, 2020 by Ian Abel

[Gwiwer]

Tooth wrangler has already changed my appointment twice. Thursday afternoon became Thursday morning and is now tomorrow afternoon. 
 

Wonder whether that will change on arrival. Or even beforehand - again

 

I have the next three supermarket deliveries already booked. It’s the week we are due back from being away which is causing a little concern. I’ll keep trying. I am told I can be very trying. 

[polybear]

8 minutes ago, Ian Abel said:

..........as we rant slightly too much about the bum-stain in the White house 

 

Every time I hear that clown speak I'm convinced he has the IQ of a plant pot.  On second thoughts, that may be somewhat unkind to plant pots......

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Well the gas engineer has been and gone and a new filter unit has been fitted. Problem was that the boiler still refused to start. It turns out that there is serious corrosion inside the boiler jacket and quite simply the boiler will have to be replaced. Luckily the gas engineer will be able to fit the new boiler on Wednesday but its going to be a couple of thousand modelling tokens. When I was a nipper we occasionally had rabbit but that all stopped when myxomatosis hit and rabbit virtually disappeared from the menu overnight.

[iL Dottore]

4 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

For me, the NHS will never be a proper health service while it fails to treat peoples' teeth in the same way as the rest of the body....

I wonder if that is the reason that the British are reputed to have the worst teeth in Europe, if not the world. Almost as if some people act/think that if they can’t get it  for “free” on the NHS they won’t bother taking care of their teeth...

but I can understand why the NHS might be somewhat reluctant to cover all dental procedures, given a huge amounts of sugary drinks, sweets, confectionary and the like consumed on a daily basis by many people in Britain.

4 hours ago, AndrewC said:

I'm fortunate in having a good quality butcher who only deals direct with farms who meet the Pasture for Life standards. ... So much of the flavour, especially beef is in the bone and fat. I did a bone in belly in the smoker yesterday and with a reasonable fat cap left on as well as the bones, it was moist, tender, and full of flavour. 

You jammy so-and-so!

I do have one or two good local butchers, one of which gets his pork from a local farmer who feeds his pigs a bottle of beer each day. With the result that they are very happy pigs and very tasty pigs as well.

Where I usually shop it is difficult to get meat on the bone, although occasionally you can get an entire lamb carcass or a quarter lamb carcass to butcher yourself (I’ve done this a number of times - dismembering a quarter lamb carcass that is - and I can tell you it’s not as easy as dismembering a human   The anatomy being the same, yet very different [if that makes any sense to you.])  I can get, thankfully, entire pork bellies with fat and skin, although not on the bone. And I have to confess, that abundant quantities of slow roast pork belly help to get me through the more challenging months of my diet. It’s surprising how quickly you can go through a 3 1/2 kg pork belly, depending on how I prepare it I might get as much as six meals out of one.

 

2 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

As far as my gran was concerned it was the entire beast although whether she first squeezed out the bladder (recommended by one web poster - for obvious reasons) I was probably considered rather young to be told.  But otherwise it was the complete animal with nowt else taken out - that bit of fun (to watch) came later although to be honest i always found watching the singeing and drawing of a chicken to be more interesting.

I thought that it was common practice to gut all animals immediately after slaughter; you certainly do that when you shot a deer or a wild boar, even though you may not skin and dress the animal until it has hung for some time. There is an excellent reason reason for getting an animal immediately after slaughter and that is all the cheerful little microbes in the animal’s gastrointestinal system are still happily alive and, worst case scenario, will start consuming the gut contents and happily produce methane  - causing the belly of the ungutted animal to swell and possibly to explode. Furthermore, even if the guts don’t swell and explode, they can leak colonic contents into the abdominal cavity contaminating the meat with little bugs like E. coli (not all E. coli are malicious little pathogens, many are quite beneficial, but in the absence of a proper analytical laboratory , you’d be hard pressed to tell which was friend and which was foe).

Thank you, Mike, for the links to the various butchers, although I am sure they can do mail order, there’s no point in shipping things to Switzerland, even paying a premium for next day airfreight, the Swiss would still impose the limit of 1 kg of meat that can be imported at any time duty-free (apparently they even have tables indicating how much meat contents various items, such as salami, contains. So, apparently, you could import 3 x 1 kg salamis, providing that the meat content  In each salami  does not exceed 330 g of meat).

Game, most surprisingly, does not have a limit as to how much you can import (but given the cost of venison you soon bump into the upper limit of how much you can import into Switzerland in terms of Swiss franc value).

Well, I’m off to have a brandy (the one brandy I can drink by the bucketful comes from my adopted home town of Bologna and is called Vecchia Romagna, Etticheta Nera. An eminently drinkable brandy for very little money.

 

zum Wohl, mitenand!
 

iD

Edited September 21, 2020 by iL Dottore

[pH]

Concerning eating rabbit meat, and having some fat in meat:

 

http://www.foodforthoughtstore.com/rabbit-starvation/

 

Indigenous populations forced to rely solely on lean rabbits for food in certain situations could, in effect, starve.