Bog Myrtle & Peat

So much of this blog is devoted to moorland that it seems wrong that grouse are never talked about in the context of food. To be quite honest, I don’t eat as much grouse as I would like to – I possibly eat three or four brace a year – so when I was offered some of the spoils of Friday’s driven day in Yorkshire, I jumped at the chance. Done well, there is no more tasty and succulent prospect at the dinner table than a young grouse, particularly if the cook is careful to avoid overcooking them. There should be plenty of juice and the inside of the breast should be a gentle pink colour. Then, when you take a bite, your whole mouth is flooded with the flavour of heather and game. Even though they are not all that expensive and they are pretty easy to come by, grouse seems like the ultimate treat.

I will admit at this early stage that I am saving one of the grouse (a cock) for an experiment in taxidermy. The weather forecast looks like we’ll be having some good snow in Galloway over the next few days, so perhaps now is the time to finally give taxidermy a try, when it’s too grim to go outdoors and the bluebottles are keeping their heads down. Watch this space…