Shooting season: 12 August — 31 January
Only the common snipe is legal quarry, the smaller jack snipe now being a protected species. Both sexes have a light cream breast flecked with brown. The back is dark brown and black with cream stripes. The snipe, a small wader, has a very long bill used to find the insects, worms and water snails it loves.
The snipe is common throughout the United Kingdom inhabiting marshes, boggy moors and damp pastures. It presents a difficult shot as it flies off on a zigzagging course and a shooter who brings one home feels justifiably pleased with himself.
Snipe are one of the smallest of the game birds and considered very much a delicacy. Despite their small size they have large appetites and spend most of the day feeding. They prosper on a diet of worms and water snails, so by October or November they make a well-flavoured bird for the table.
Shooting season:
England and Wales, 1 October — 31 January
Scotland, 1 September — 31 January
The woodcock is a medium-sized wader with a long straight bill, a large eye and plumage of every conceivable shade of brown which provides an excellent camouflage against the dead leaves of a winter woodland.
Woodcock favour moist woodland with low cover and may be found throughout much of Britain, although they are more common in East Anglia where they arrive after their autumn migration from Scandinavia and the Baltic. After regaining their strength, they then move westwards to Cornwall and eventually over the Irish Sea.
Over the centuries the woodcock has been given a variety of names: the Anglo-Saxons called it wudecoc; Linnaeus named it Scolopax rusticola, ‘the stake-pointed country dweller’, and the Dorset man knew it as ditch-owl. To us all, however, it is the woodcock, a strange creature of dawn and dusk, shrouded in mystery, in the bag a cause for pride, on the table a dish fit for a king. It is an elusive bird, wild and untameable, the true ephemeral, here today and who knows where tomorrow.
Woodcock can be testing targets for the shooting man and a ‘right and left’ is a celebrated feat, the equivalent of a golfer’s hole-in-one or an athlete’s four-minute mile. It is considered such a rarity that until 1983, any shooter who could provide two witnesses to this feat could claim membership of the ‘Bols Snippen Club’, a free badge and a bottle of liqueur. This has now been superseded by the Shooting Times Woodcock Club.
Snipe are in season from 12 August, but they are not at their best until October or November, by which time woodcock may also be shot. The condition of both birds may deteriorate during prolonged cold weather as they may be short of food and their fat reserves will be used up. As with all game, hanging is a purely personal matter; this may be for two to four days, depending on the weather, although some people prefer not to hang snipe or woodcock at all. Both birds must be plucked very carefully as the skin is tender and tends to tear easily. Traditionally, snipe and woodcock are not drawn before cooking.
Trussing a woodcock using the beak as a skewer
Skin the head and remove the eyes with a sharp knife. Leave the intestines or ‘trail’ intact as this liquefies when heated and mingles with the cooking juices. Make a small cut in the side of the bird above the thigh but below the breastbone and with one finger locate and hook out the gizzard. Press the legs and wings together and twist the head around to the side so that the beak may be passed through the legs and body like a skewer.
Pass a piece of string under the body, around the beak which acts as a skewer, cross over the ends and tie round the legs.
Tie a rasher of streaky bacon over the breast. Fry or toast a slice of bread on one side only and stand the bird on the untoasted side so that it will retain the delicate juices released during cooking. Alternatively, place it on a croûton of bread after cooking. Serve with a clear gravy made from the juices and a glass of white wine or a few drops of brandy or lemon juice.
If the ‘trail’ is too much for you, remove the head and serve in the same way as other game birds. As both birds are too small to be shared, they may be prepared and cooked exactly to individual taste, but they are probably best medium to well done.
Snipe and woodcock are rarely available over the counter or from game dealers as they are usually too highly prized by the shooter and scarce.
Both birds may be frozen, drawn or undrawn, and stored for six to eight months.
These delicately flavoured birds may be left undrawn except for the gizzard, the head skinned and the long beak used as a skewer, or they may be drawn if preferred.
A couple of snipe
2 streaky bacon rashers
2 slices of bread
Oil and butter for frying
Lemon wedges to garnish
Wrap a streaky bacon rasher around each bird and place in a small casserole. Cover and cook in a hot oven, 220°C (425°F), gas mark 7, for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid from the casserole, take off the bacon and baste the snipe with the juices. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Fry the bread in oil and butter until crisp and golden on both sides. When cooked, place each bird on a croûton on a hot serving dish and baste with the pan juices.
Serve immediately, garnished with lemon wedges.
Though tiny birds, a couple of snipe (never called a brace) will provide a meal of quality if not quantity. It has been said that Winston Churchill’s favourite breakfast was a couple of snipe on toast washed down with champagne.
A couple of snipe
2 rashers bacon
2 slices of bread
Melted butter
Pepper
2 sprigs of parsley to garnish
Toast the bread on one side only. Place the snipe on the untoasted side of the bread and put them in the bottom of the grill pan. Place a rasher of bacon over the breast of each bird. Cook under a hot grill for 10 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.
Remove the bacon, baste with melted butter and add a shake of pepper. Reduce the heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Place each snipe on toast onto a hot plate, spoon some of the pan juices over each bird and serve with the bacon and a sprig of parsley.
Cold woodcock, served with a cool cucumber and curd cheese dressing, makes an impressive savoury starter to a meal. After cooking, leave the birds to cool in the stock to prevent the meat from becoming dry.
A couple of woodcock, drawn
300ml (1⁄2pt) stock
Sprig of thyme
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Lettuce leaves, tomato wedges and white grapes to garnish
100g (4oz) diced cucumber
100g (4oz) curd cheese
3tbsp natural yoghurt
Place the woodcock in a small saucepan and add the stock, herbs and seasoning. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 40-45 minutes. Leave the birds to cool in the stock, preferably overnight.
Split the birds in half with a sharp knife, trim away the backbone and small rib-bones and remove any remaining innards.
Blend the yoghurt and curd cheese and add the diced cucumber.
To serve, lay each woodcock half on a bed of lettuce on an individual plate. Decorate with tomato wedges and grape halves. Serve the dressing separately.
Woodcock Appetiser
As a couple of woodcock in the bag is likely to be a rare occurrence, treat the birds with the deference they deserve. They are best served plainly roasted. The cooked entrails mixed with brandy are spread on toast and served with the woodcock.
A couple of woodcock, undrawn
2 rashers streaky bacon
2 slices toast
Small glass brandy
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges to garnish
Wrap a rasher of streaky bacon round each bird, place in a small roasting tin and cook at 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6, for 20-25 minutes. Remove the bacon for the last 5 minutes.
Split the birds in halves and scrape out the entrails. Mash with a fork and add the brandy and seasoning. Spread half of the mixture onto each slice of toast and serve with the birds. Garnish with lemon wedges.
This is my son Peter’s recipe for a woodcock appetiser. It is equally good using snipe, teal or wigeon.
The breastmeat from a couple of woodcock
1 large onion, finely chopped
125g (4oz) mushrooms
50g (2oz) butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
Seasoned flour
Chopped parsley
Cut woodcock breasts into 2.5cm (1in) cubes. Dust the meat in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter in a pan and fry the onions, mushrooms and garlic until they almost become a purée. Flash fry the meat for about 1 minute each side, so that it is medium to rare.
Toast thick sliced whole grain bread. Spread with butter and cut into 5cm (2in) squares. To each square of toast, add some of the meat, spoon over the purée and garnish with chopped parsley.
A good way to prepare woodcock if you prefer to draw your birds. Pot-roasting in white wine and orange juice keeps the flesh moist.
A couple of woodcock
1 glass dry white wine
Zest and juice of 1 large orange
2tbsp single cream
2tsp cornflour
Salt and pepper
Watercress and orange slices to garnish
Truss the birds with string and place them in a small roasting tin or flameproof casserole. Add the wine and zest and juice of the orange. Cover with foil or a lid and cook in a fairly hot oven, 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6, for 1 hour.
Uncover the birds for the final 15 minutes of the cooking time to allow them to brown. Remove the woodcock from the tin and keep hot on a serving dish.
Blend the cornflour with the cream, then stir into the pan juices and heat gently until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the birds and decorate with watercress and orange slices.
Snipe