5th January – Duck and Drake

Seasoned duck breast ready for the pan

This morning it was off to a breeding kennels near Tonbridge so Treacle could meet her new boyfriend. He's a handsome chap, completely black and a bit shorter in the leg than treacle, which is fine by me if it results in offspring which run a little slower than their mother! Chris, Drake's owner was friendly and helpful and a quick glance around his back garden suggested that he took his dog breeding and also working them in the field very seriously. one look at Drake's pedigree only confirmed this, the page being crammed with unintelligible names in red writing (names written in red on a working dog's pedigree indicate field trial champions). Whilst the two dogs flirted and belted round the garden a bit, Chris offered advice about whelping and when to return for the mating and we left with a date in the diary for a week Sunday.

The weather remains mild with strong winds and I was startled to see that a crocus bud, full-sized and ready to open has emerged on the lawn. Round the back of the house work continues tidying the place up and today Em and I tackled the huge stack of demolition timber, cutting three ton bags worth whilst Chub-Chub slept. Through the fumes of my knackered old chainsaw I noticed H coming up the drive. Such a visit means one of two things, a counter signature is required or an animal needs killing. On this occasion it was the latter and on Monday I’m booked in to slaughter a year-old bullock with a bad leg. Goodness knows where the meat is going to go as each of our three chest freezers is already filled to the brim, what with the half mutton sheep, whole pig, chickens, geese and turkeys which recently joined the existing stockpile.

Dinner

Pan fried wild duck breast on a bed of leaky potatoes, served with cabbage, carrots and cherry conserve. This was the duck I shot last Saturday and as it might well be the only one we eat this year I wanted to make the most of it. In my opinion, the way to get the best out of a mallard is to pan fry the breasts, leave them to rest well in a warm oven then serve them pink with a rich sauce. This way the meat is succulent and tender and the unique rich flavour can be truly appreciated.