“Rabbits originate from the west Mediterranean. They were introduced into Britain by the Romans and the Normans to provide meat and fur, but are now widespread throughout Britain and Ireland.

In the UK, rabbits are considered a pest as they eat crops and large areas of pasture land meant for farm animals. However, in the rest of Europe the rabbit is a highly prized game species.

Rabbits in southern Europe live on rocky, mountainous ground and tend to eat wild herbs that flavour their meat. These European rabbits are much smaller than our rabbits in the UK, with the Europeans weighing in at around 1kg and the English rabbits reaching 1.5kg and above.

Wild rabbit should not be confused with domesticated hutch rabbits that are much more tender and have a distinctly different flavour. Here is a jointed rabbit recipe that can also be done with diced rabbit. Waitrose and Sainsbury’s both stock rabbit but please remember that if they do not have it at your local, ask for it as it is a line they do in other stores.”

Rabbit al Ajillo
“This is a very simple rabbit dish from southern Spain, which contains dry white wine, garlic and thyme. During my holidays in Spain, I watch my auntie prepare this dish using rabbits shot by my uncles and me. We would go off on a Saturday morning before light to the hilly hunting grounds just outside the village of Castellar in Andalusia. The day was spent working dogs over semi-arid hill land looking for rabbits that would then be flushed out to the waiting guns. Then, around midday we would return home with our bag of rabbits. The following day, the whole family would come to my uncle’s house to eat a feast of rabbit served with large platters of thinly cut chips fried in olive oil, fresh beef tomato and red onion salad, marinated olives, fresh warm bread and a whole host of other dishes to accompany this fantastic man course. As soon as I warm the olive oil for this dish the smell of this incorporated with the garlic brings all the memories flying back.

You will need:
2 jointed rabbits
1 head of garlic
1 chicken stock cube, mixed with 250ml boiling water
Good sprig of fresh thyme
1 bottle white wine
2 large tablespoons of vegetable oil
3 large tablespoons of virgin olive oil

1. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pan, heat the oils together.
3. Break up the head of garlic into cloves, then hit each clove to split them but do not remove the skin.
4. Add the garlic to the oil, once it is hot. Fry the garlic until it is golden brown then remove to use again later.
5. Once the oil is hot again, add the rabbit and fry to seal the meat on all sides.
6. When the meat is sealed, add the garlic back into the pan then add the wine, the chicken stock and the thyme.
7. Allow this to come to boil then place a lid onto the pan. The lid should sit slightly ajar so that some of the steam from the boiling liquid can escape.
8. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer and reduce for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the rabbit legs are tender.
9. Once the rabbit is cooked, remove from the liquid and place in a serving bowl and allow liquid to reduce a little more if need be.
10. Remove the garlic skins from the sauce, pour over the rabbit, serve and enjoy!”