Heston's Xmas Feast

[Elaine]

Did anyone watch this programme last night? I didn't see the first five minutes so was a bit surprised to find Heston Whatsisname offering roasted mice to people.
What did fill me with horror, was his next "dish", consisting of DORMICE. Where on earth did he get the Dormice??? I was under the impression that our native Dormice were endangered so they can't have been British surely??

The whole programme was strange..I know he was trying to re-create feasts of donkeys years ago but...really! And his guests oohing and aahing over the hideous concoctions/creations. Strewth.

Thank heavens for sanity...the next programme was good old Hugh at River Cottage.

Cheers.

[peter]

Edible Dormice or Glis-Glis, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_dormouse , does live around Tring in Hertfordshire after escaping from the private collection of a Rothschild.

[alan refail]

Hi Elaine

Heston is doing his bit for the environment by cooking edible dormice

They are a serious environmental threat, like so many introduced species:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildli ... reats.html

Thank heavens for sanity...the next programme was good old Hugh at River Cottage

But doesn't Hugh revolt you with his use of rabbit, another non-native rodent and environmental threat?

[alan refail]

Hi again Elaine

If I've persuaded you to have a go at dormouse, here's a famous Roman recipe:

Glires Infarcti
Ex compositionibus Apicii
Glires: isicio porcino item pulpis ex omni membro glirum trito cum pipere nucleis lasere
liquamine arcies glires et sutos in tegula positos mittes in furnum aut farso in clibano
coques. (Apicius 408)


If your Latin's a little rusty, here's a translation:

Stuffed Dormouse
from the recipes of Apicius
Dormice: Stuff the dormice with minced pork, also with meat from all parts of the mouse,
seasoned with pepper, pine nuts, laser (juice of silphium), and garum; position them on
tiles and place on the stove, or already stuffed, cook them in a portable oven.

[Shallot Man]

alan refail. What no mustard.

[Elaine]

Thanks Peter and Alan! I had forgotten about those Edible Dormice.....well come back all I said.

Still, I don't think I could eat one, any more than I can eat rabbit. When I was a child, my Gran regularly served up rabbit stew or pie and when I twigged on that the rabbits hung in the butchers were really what was in the stew/pie, I was horrified and I've never touched it since! I also can't eat duck for the same reason.It's strange but chicken and turkey don't have the same effect.

You probably think I'm barmy but I have only recently started to eat lamb for similar sentimental reasons...and then it's only because it's my husbands' favourite meat.
Cheers.

[Elle's Garden]

Stuff the dormice with minced pork, also with meat from all parts of the mouse,

Sounds painful and a bit tricky...