| Mike Laughton |
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I was born in 1943 and throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s rabbit was part of the staple diet for most ordinary families. Rabbit pie and rabbit stew were two of the most popular dishes but there were several different ways to cook rabbit.
Before myxxy took hold in the mid 1950s there was an abundance of rabbits in the countryside and scores of poachers in the Stamford area alone. One uncle who was an accomplished poacher would turn up with a couple of rabbits for us every week. This was a godsend during the years of meat rationing.
Rabbit is a very white meat something like chicken (unlike hare which is a red meat)
Meat didn't come prepared or pre-packed in those days so if you had a chicken you had to pluck it yourself and if you had a rabbit you would have to skin in.
This led to sayings in other aspects of life and a common expression when undressing a child to get him ready for bed was - "Skin a Rabbit!...."
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| at goodchild |
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You are quite correct re rabbits, they were a welcome supplement to the table during the wartime rationing.As a lad back in the early forties I used to go to Burghleigh Park where there was an abundance of rabbits. I lived in Church Court so it wasnt far to go. I think the old Marquis used to turn a blind eye but we still got chased by the estates constable. There was even a bonus, I seem to remember we got 3d per skin from the rag and bone merchant which gained us entrance to the Saturday matinee in the Central cinema.
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| syd |
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My dad was a fitter at williamson Cliffe and they had a communal shot gun which they used to shoot rabbits in the quarry, I thought it was fun at meal times as it was chew, chew then clink as you spat a bit of shot onto your plate.. Good old days!
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| atgoodchild |
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you are quite correct to say that rabbit,during the war, was a welcome supplement to the dining table. i lived in church court and my favourite hunting ground was burleigh park. i was very young at the time but learned hunting skills quickly. there was an abundance of rabbits on the estate and i think that the old marquis turned a blind eye to thse activities but we were chased a few times by the estate constable. i have tried several times over the years to interest my children grandchildren and now great grandchildren inthe taste of rabbit with the same response (arghhh) perhaps they are spoiled but neccessity ruled and they really are delicious.
y
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| jill |
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The estates constable - that was my grandfather, Vic Matthews, a retired police sergeant from Peterborough. He lived at The Lodges with his wife, my father his son Alfred and daughter Mary.
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| Patrick |
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All these comments about poaching brought back some memories. My wanderings were west and north of the town as far as Casterton and Pickworth. I started in 1938 at the age of twelve and retired in 1943, aged 17, when I joined the Navy. One night in 1942, I snared four hares in Empingham Road where the by-pass now is. I took them into the game dealer I dealt with in town. I asked for £1. A hare could feed a family for a week. He offered me 10s. When I refused he said `Shall I settle the price with your father?` (who was a policeman). I took the 10s. Outside his shop his old dog used to lie, growling at me every time I went in. Next time I went in with some rabbits (he used to give me 1s each and get 4p back on the skin from W H Lee in High Street) I put three of my mother`s Ex-Lax in a piece of rabbit meat and gave it to the dog. That afternoon, on the way home from school, I walked up Cheyne Lane. There was the dealer with a bucket of water and a yard brush cleaning down the passage. `Having a wash down?` I asked. `No choice, boy` was the reply, `That bxxxdy old dog, his insides have turned to water
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| Phil |
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My Father used to drive for a living so he bought home rabbits he had knocked over.so we had lots of rabbit stews which were lovely and he skinned the rabbits and I didn't watch.I also as a 13 year old would go bush beating for Pete Johnson the Butcher ,he would give us two and six and a rabbit or two depending how good the shoot was the old man was happy.I am really chuffed today as I had a phone call from my old mate Adolph after 40years!!!!
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