New delicacies

So there we were out on the beat the other day and the young dog decides that retrieving pheasants and partridge and duck is getting a little bit "much of the same" so, on his hunting, comes across a much more interesting thing in the marshes: we are later told that it is a real delicacy of the table and far more desirable than your 'common' gamebird. Well, that day we gave over the prize to some other wiley guy who was quicker at the end of the day to spot a 'good thing'.
However, a couple of days later The Young Dog finds another in the marshes and proudly brings it out to me. "Right" says one of my companions "Keep your eye on it and take it home at the end of the day" and even went to far as to have a word in the Keeper's ear. So, at the end of a very long and tiring day, Keeper said we could take our Prize - The Coot - plus two water hens which "are the best thing you can eat with a coot" and "take 'em and skin 'em and eat 'em for Christmas". So, I've done the first two bits of the instruction and in just 10 days or so we shall be sampling the delicacies along with some more traditional season fare.... (Just to add - having never skinned a bird before, this was a first --- so yet more lessons learned at the foot of the dog... so to speak....).
And then before you know it we're off on Yet Another Adventure.......
Our very First Christmas Market (0r any market for that matter) venture. The Big Boss had been enquiring about the possibility of hiring a Stall at the Local Farmer's Market. "Don't know about that" said the young man he was talking to "Not my area" (as ever) "But if you're interested in a Christmas Market I've just had a cancellation at Boston and if you can do 'food to eat' you can have the spot".
So that was it. All our food is 'to eat' -- we just had to make it more like 'eat now'. Hardly pausing in his stride, The Boss is on to the Good Butcher and his wife and before you know, we have Pasties and Pies to die for (and to sell). And within the space of just two or three weeks we are product and packaging ready and off to market.
Our stall laden with Three types of pastie (Lincolnshire Sunburst - with sundried tomato and golden raisin, Ham & Leek, and Lincolnshire Vegetable) plus 3 types of Pork Pie (with Cranberry, with Apple and Just Plain Pork) plus Unique Gourmet Chocolate with Hazlenut-flavoured Grammel and Pure Pork lard (free if you purchase 3 pasties) was a great success and we did a roaring trade throughout the morning..... but quickly learned the (probably) golden rule of the Market -- that the afternoon is 'for browsing not selling'. Not to worry though --- it was a very useful (market) research exercise and an entertaining, if tiring, day..... And we have enough pasties to eat for a day or two..... And may even venture into the Market proper during the coming year... Depends what the Big Boss thinks.... If he has time to think about that with another Open Day - in the form of party with the Piggies - coming up next Sunday....... Just another ordinary week in the life of Rectory Reserve.......................... (roller skates at the ready everybody?..........)