Chef Clarissa sets out her game plan
CLARISSA Dickson Wright announces, with a certain element of pride, that she used to be number three on the Animal Liberation Front's death list.
She hasn't checked the stats for a while, but expects she will go up when her new show hits screens.
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HARE APPARENT: Clarissa Dickson Wright loves cooking and eating rabbit
The outspoken cook, a staunch campaigner on countryside issues, will be seen in an episode of The Great British Food Revival, extolling the virtues of eating wild rabbit.
"We bury 40 tons of rabbit a year in landfill sites because people don't eat it, and the rabbit that gets sold in the supermarkets is imported from China," she explains.
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"I wouldn't import food from China because they have very few health regulations.
"It's also a waste to throw away all that rabbit when it's very good. If you want to do lean, healthy, and organic there is almost nothing better.
"There's a law that requires the landowner to cut back the number of rabbits," she says. "They've got to be killed anyway. You might as well eat them."
The 65-year-old is no stranger to controversy, and says her unpopularity with the animal rights activists (she calls them "antis") and the previous Labour Government put a stop to her TV work for a while.
"I was worth between three and seven million viewers to the BBC whenever I did a programme. So why suddenly stop?"
Now she's back and in full throttle. As well as celebrating rabbits, she will be seen in a new series for BBC Four on breakfast, lunch and dinner.
She's also got a new book, Clarissa's England, on the shelves. It's described as a "a gamely gallop through the English counties".
She clearly has her hands full with work – but that hasn't stopped her planning her final meal, which she says jovially will be cooked by chef Shaun Hill.
"The last time I was at the Walnut Tree [near Abergavenny in South Wales] he did these beignets made with oysters. I told Shaun they would definitely be part of my final meal, but he said it's a work in process.
"Anyway they haven't brought back the death penalty and we haven't got Tony Blair in government any more so I am unlikely to be hanged at the moment. So I've got many more years to work on it!"
Recipe is taken from Clarissa's Comfort Food by Clarissa Dickson Wright, published by Kyle Books, priced £15.99. Clarissa Dickson Wright can be seen in The Great British Food Revival on BBC Two at 8pm on Wednesday, October 17.
Comments
by Bexlian
Tuesday, October 23 2012, 10:23AM
“I had never had rabbit, s inspired by her promotion of it on the show I tried the casserole. I didn't like it one bit. The wine/lemon juice marinade then used to form the stoke for the dish is far too tart and sickly. A part wine/part veg or chicken stock mix would be better. However the rabbit itself was unspectacular, not a great taste but also very dry and stringy. Would not go for rabbit again when far nicer result can be achieved with chicken.”
by Aidan0816
Friday, October 19 2012, 7:57AM
“"CLARISSA Dickson Wright announces, with a certain element of pride, that she used to be number three on the Animal Liberation Front's death list."
I find this hard to believe, seeing as the Animal Liberation Front is not only a a decentralized organization without any sort of structure or central leadership, but they are a non-violent organization that works towards ensuring that none of their actions un-necessarily risk the lives of any animals in their activities. So a "death list" wouldn't really make total sense, from my perspective.”
by CharlieDodd
Friday, October 12 2012, 9:24PM
“Clarissa asked- "I was worth between three and seven million viewers to the BBC whenever I did a programme. So why suddenly stop?"..
Problem is luv,most viewers got fed up of you keep slipping little pro-bloodsports comments into your progs..”
by 64special1
Friday, October 12 2012, 9:08PM
“my uncle was a prolific rabbiter....and made a good living from it....Gran used to make delicous rabbit stew, pie etc etc...think i,ll go dig out his rifle and buy myself a lurcher !!!!!”
by niugnepyzarc
Friday, October 12 2012, 7:14PM
“As far as rabbit goes I'm indifferent like a previous poster mentioned they were bred for food in the past, however the disgusting pro hunting and badger culling attitude of these posh fat ***** is whatt puts me off of them and I hate it when I hear people like this claiming to represent the views of country dwellers.....there is a big difference between the attitudes of the posh wannabe lords and ladies who make up the countryside alliance and the normal peopl living out here.”
by niugnepyzarc
Friday, October 12 2012, 7:07PM
“These people do not represent the views of the countryside......they represent the views of the countryside alliance for sure.....sorry I mean the wealthy landowner alliance but normal country folk of which I count myself are just as disgusted by the abuse of animals people like these and encourage as anyone else! Horrible people and a disgusting attitude to fellow living creatures.”
by CharlieDodd
Friday, October 12 2012, 6:32PM
“..Clarissa said-'We bury 40 tons of rabbit a year in landfill sites because people don't eat it, and the rabbit that gets sold in the supermarkets is imported from China"..
Why on earth can't we eat our Brit rabbits?
"It would be soooo nice if something made sense for a change"- Alice in Wonderland”
by rozel
Friday, October 12 2012, 5:22PM
“I'm pleased that Clarissa has mentioned rabbit, which I understand, was introduced into England by the Normans who employed warreners to rear rabbits to feed the invading troops. There is nothing wrong with either wild or commercially reared rabbit as a food: in fact it was part of many persons' diets during the period of food shortage during the Second World War. Moreover goat, horse and badger are good alternatives to the usual beef, chicken, lamb and pork that seem to be the only meats on offer in most of the UK.”
by willems
Friday, October 12 2012, 1:48PM
“Cooking programmes are usually guaranteed to drive me nuts,but 'Two Fat Ladies' was always worth watching,and not so much for the food,excellent though it was,but rather more for the lovely eccentricities of Clarissa,and her chum Jennifer Paterson,(now deceased).
I can only suppose it's thanks to some weird strand of political-correctness that they have never been repeated.”