No close shooting season, but hare may not be offered for sale between 1 March and 31 July
The two main species of hare found in the British Isles are the brown or common hare and the blue or mountain hare.
The brown hare is considerably larger than the mountain hare with much longer black-tipped ears and longer hind legs and is altogether less compact. The colour of the fur may vary from a soft fawn to a sandy or reddish-brown which becomes greyer in the winter months. The tail is white underneath and black on top.
The brown hare frequents mainly low land, favouring flat open farmland and woodland, although it is found in some higher moorland areas. It lives in open country making for itself a form which is a bed or seat hollowed from stubble, plough, grass or heather. The brown hare feeds on grass and a variety of agricultural crops which it frequently damages, or young saplings.
The mountain hare is similar to the brown but is finer boned and considerably smaller and stockier. It has long black-tipped ears and long hind legs. The fur is grey or reddish-brown in summer, but this usually turns white with a bluish hue in the winter, the ear-tips remaining black.
The mountain hare lives on the hills mainly in Scotland but also on moorland in parts of England. It feeds on grass and a variety of crops including heather and the bark and tops of young saplings. The mountain hare goes to ground more readily than the brown hare as its terrain has safe hiding and sheltering places, such as boulders or overhanging rocks, or it may go down into holes when the weather is bad or danger threatens.
Compared with a rabbit, a hare has a larger heart, greater volume of blood and longer legs as well as being considerably larger overall, all of which contribute to its exceptional speed and powers of endurance. The other distinction is the hare’s split lip, through which the teeth protrude in old age.
For centuries the hare has featured in the legends of great civilisations. It is frequently linked with the moon and fire: in early Chinese mythology it was a symbol of resurrection. The hare is often depicted as hunted quarry in Roman, Greek and Egyptian art, and was thought to have mystical and supernatural powers.
The Hare Pie Scramble at Hallaton in Leicestershire re-enacts the ritual of scattering a sacrificial beast on the ground to promote fertility.
To the ancient Britons hares were sacred, but in the Middle Ages they were associated with witchcraft. Witches were said to transform themselves into hares, and the only way to kill a witch hare was, and still is, with a silver bullet.
The hare is a creature of unusual and fascinating habits and behaviour, not least of which are its attempts to outpace a plane taxiing down a runway or its mad behaviour in the mating season which labels it moonstruck or the mad March hare.
It is assumed that hare was hunted for meat from very early times. If a countryman obtained a hare, often through poaching, he usually sold it to the gentry as it fetched more than a week’s pay. Hare was not to Hodge’s liking as he found it had too much blood and the meat was too strongly flavoured for his taste. This was partly because he could not afford to cook it properly. The cost of preparing a hare so that it was palatable was far beyond the means of ordinary country folk; they preferred the rabbit, far more simply prepared and not requiring extra expensive ingredients.
The old custom was to soak the hare in a quart of milk before cooking to make the meat paler and less strongly flavoured. Salt water or vinegar will do this equally well.
A young hare or leveret has soft ears and a smooth coat. The teeth are small and white, the cleft or ‘hare lip’ is still quite narrow and the sharp claws are hidden beneath the fur. The coat of an adult hare becomes wavy and grey, white hairs may appear around the muzzle, and the ears are hard and dry. The teeth grow long and yellow with age, making the hare lip more pronounced. The claws grow long and become more rounded with wear and tear.
In cold weather hares may be hung head down and unpaunched for up to a week.
Unlike rabbit, a hare is skinned first and then paunched. This can be a messy job and it is wise to assemble everything you need close to hand before making a start. Wear an old apron or overall. You will need a large clean working surface, a very sharp knife, tough kitchen scissors, tin snips or secateurs, a bucket and plenty of newspaper to dispose of the entrails and skin. While skinning a hare try to keep the fur off the flesh.
Cut off the feet at the first joint using tin snips or secateurs.
With the head away from you, pinch up the belly skin and make an incision, taking care not to penetrate the body cavity.
Cut the skin around the back legs just below the tail. You can then work the skin off the hind legs.
Turn the hare around and draw the skin off the body and forelegs by pulling it towards the head.
Cut off the head and discard, together with the whole skin.
Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut from the fork between the legs up to the rib-cage.
Cut carefully through the paunch and draw out and discard the intestines. Keep the kidneys and liver, after carefully removing the gall-bladder.
Cut the diaphragm and draw out the pluck, discarding the lungs but retaining the heart, which may be used for stock.
At this point if you wish to keep the blood, pour any that has collected in the rib-cage into a small basin. The blood may be used in some recipes to enrich the sauce or gravy.
With a sharp knife remove the thin membrane which surrounds the meat.
Hare may be left whole for roasting or braising or it may be jointed according to your needs. For a saddle of hare remove all four legs and trim away any loose belly skin and the rib-cage so that the joint lies flat in a roasting tin or on a bed of vegetables. If the whole hare is to be jointed, divide the saddle into four or five even-sized joints. The front legs should be left whole, but the hind legs may be divided at the joint.
Wash the meat thoroughly in cold water and leave to soak in cold salted water for twenty-four hours, then rinse again thoroughly before cooking or freezing. This is a cheaper alternative to soaking in milk as described earlier. However, gourmets prefer the strong gamey flavour of hare, and they will cook it without the preliminary soaking. Likewise, the blood may be added in the final stages of cooking to further enrich the flavour. As in much game cookery, it is all a matter of taste.
Hare freezes well and will keep for up to nine months. It may be stored whole or divided into smaller packs, consisting of the saddle or legs only. If parts of the hare are badly damaged, label them accordingly and reserve for pies or pâté. Wrap any sharp bones with foil or greaseproof paper to prevent them from puncturing the freezer bag.
A fully grown hare will provide meat for six to eight people. A leveret should give four to six portions.
Older hares may be tenderised by marinating in beer, wine or cider for two to three days.
Only young hares should be roasted. A stuffing will improve the flavour, and plenty of fat bacon laid on the hare will help to keep the flesh moist.
1 young hare
6 rashers streaky bacon
1tbsp flour
300ml (1⁄2pt) stock
1 glass red wine or port
Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
175g (6oz) fresh breadcrumbs
50g (2oz) shredded suet
1 egg, beaten
Juice and zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1tbsp chopped parsley
1tbsp thyme
2tsp marjoram
Salt and pepper
Lemon slices and watercress to garnish
Mix the dry ingredients for the forcemeat stuffing and bind together with the lemon juice and beaten egg. Stuff the hare and sew up the body cavity.
Place the hare in a roasting tin and completely cover with streaky bacon and then a layer of foil. Roast in a fairly hot oven, 200°C (400°F), gas mark 6, for 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bacon, baste well and return to the oven to brown. Remove the hare from the pan and keep hot on a serving dish.
Blend the flour with the pan juices, add the stock, lemon juice, wine or port and boil gently for 5 minutes.
Garnish the hare with slices of lemon, watercress and the bacon. Serve the gravy separately, with roast potatoes, a green vegetable and redcurrant or crab-apple jelly (see Good Companions).
A whole hare is often too large for a family meal. In this recipe the saddle is cooked in one piece on a bed of vegetables and herbs.
The saddle of a young hare
6 rashers streaky bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 sprig thyme
Bay leaf
4tbsp single cream or top of the milk
Quince jelly
Remove the thin membrane covering the saddle and trim the rib-cage with scissors so that the joint may rest evenly in a shallow baking dish.
Place the chopped vegetables and herbs in the bottom of a shallow fireproof dish or baking tin. Lay the saddle of hare on top and cover with the streaky bacon rashers. Place buttered paper over the hare and cover with foil. Bake in a moderately hot oven, 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4, for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue cooking for a further 10-15 minutes in order to crisp the bacon. Carve in long thin slices lengthways and place on a hot serving dish with the bacon. Do not forget to carve the underfillet which has absorbed the flavours of the vegetables and herbs.
Strain the liquid from the baking dish and heat gently in a separate saucepan together with the cream or top of the milk, to make a light coffee-coloured sauce to pour over the sliced hare.
Serve with creamed potatoes, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts and quince jelly (see Good Companions).
Cooked hare meat is minced and blended with melted butter and lemon juice to give a smooth textured pâté. Serve as a first course with Melba toast or with bread rolls for a picnic lunch.
1 hare, jointed
1 onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
Salt and 6 peppercorns
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
Ground nutmeg
100g (4oz) butter
1tbsp sherry
Black pepper
Fresh herbs to garnish
Soak the hare overnight in cold salt water.
Rinse thoroughly in cold water and place in a large saucepan with sliced onion, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns. Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Leave to cool.
Remove the meat from the bones and pass through a mincer.
Melt the butter over a low heat and add the grated rind and juice of the lemon. Add to the minced hare together with the sherry and beat well with a wooden spoon. Add enough of the hare stock to make a firm mixture. Season with salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
Spoon the pâté into one large or several small soufflé dishes.
If you wish to keep the pâté for more than a few days, seal the top with melted butter and chill thoroughly. Decorate with fresh herbs just before serving.
Although you may not buy a hare in March, a book written in the early nineteenth century recommends leveret for eating at this time of year. Game books from large estates at this time showed that only young hares went to the table and that they were usually cooked in ale or rough cider and basted with a pint of cream. This recipe includes the cider but goes easy on the cream!
March Hare
1 young hare, jointed
225g (8oz) bacon pieces, chopped
225g (8oz) button mushrooms
2 leeks, chopped
450ml (3⁄4pt) dry cider
1tbsp cornflour
4tbsp single cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley to garnish
Place the hare joints, leeks and cider in a large casserole. Season with black pepper and leave to marinate for 24 hours.
Add the chopped bacon and mushrooms. Cover and cook in a moderate oven, 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4, for 2 hours. Transfer the hare and mushrooms to a serving dish and keep hot.
Blend the cornflour with a little water, stir into the sauce and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and add more seasoning if necessary.
Pour the sauce over the hare and sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
Ox kidney adds extra richness to this hare and steak pie. Although this recipe uses the leg meat, any part of the hare is suitable.
4 hare legs
225g (8oz) stewing steak, diced
225g (8oz) ox kidney, diced
100g (4oz) mushrooms, sliced
450ml (3⁄4pt) beef stock
1tbsp flour
1 clove garlic, crushed
1tbsp dried parsley
1tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
350g (12oz) flaky pastry
Beaten egg
In a large saucepan blend the flour with 450ml (3⁄4pt) beef stock. Add the hare legs, diced steak and kidney, sliced mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 11⁄2 hours.
When cool, remove the meat from the leg bones and slice into small pieces. Arrange the hare meat, steak, kidney and mushrooms in a pie dish with a funnel in the centre. Add the dried herbs and pour over the gravy.
Cover the pie with flaky pastry, decorate with the pastry trimmings and glaze with beaten egg. Cook in a hot oven, 220°C (425°F), gas mark 7, for about 40 minutes until well browned.
The leg joints of a hare are marinated in beer for 24 hours and then baked with vegetables and topped with sliced potatoes to make a complete meal for the family.
4 hare legs
300ml (1⁄2pt) beer
1 large onion, finely sliced
A few cloves
Sprig of dried rosemary
Pinch of ground coriander
900g (21b) carrots, peeled and sliced
900g (21b) potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 large tin tomatoes
300ml (1⁄2pt) stock
1tbsp flour
Salt and pepper
Place the hare joints in a large casserole. Add the beer, onion, cloves and rosemary. Cover and leave to marinate for 24 hours.
Blend the flour with the stock and add to the casserole together with the carrots, celery, tomatoes, coriander, salt and pepper. Cover and bake in a moderate oven, 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4, for 11⁄2 hours.
Add the sliced potatoes on top of the hare, season with salt and pepper, cover and return to the oven for another 11⁄4 hours.
Increase the oven temperature to 220°C (425°F), gas mark 7. Remove the lid from the casserole and bake for another 15 minutes to allow the potatoes to brown.
Tender slices of hare are served with bacon-flavoured noodles and a rich sour cream and brandy sauce.
Saddle of a young hare
225g (8oz) streaky bacon
150ml (1⁄4pt) sour cream
2tbsp brandy
225g (8oz) noodles
Dried rosemary
Black pepper
Fresh rosemary to garnish
Using a sharp knife, remove the thin membrane covering the saddle.
Sprinkle the meat with dried rosemary and lay the bacon rashers across the back, completely covering the saddle. Place in a roasting tin, cover with foil and bake in the centre of a moderately hot oven, 190°C (375°F), gas mark 5, for 1 hour.
Cook the noodles in boiling salted water for 10 minutes.
Remove the bacon from the hare and chop finely. Mix with the noodles and season with plenty of black pepper.
Place the saddle on an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and keep hot.
Add the brandy and sour cream to the roasting tin and heat very gently.
Carve the saddle lengthways along the backbone in very thin slices, arrange in the centre of a long serving dish. Surround with the noodles, and pour the sauce over the hare. Garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary and serve at once.
In the past it was the custom to cook a hare in a jug or stew-jar in a moderate oven. If the oven became too hot the jug would either be placed in a baking tin surrounded by boiling water or stood in a saucepan of boiling water on top of the stove. Today, as few of us own a stew-jar, a good-sized earthenware crock is ideal for this classic dish.
1 hare, jointed
900ml (11⁄2pt) beef stock made with a stock cube
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 onion stuck with 4 cloves
25g (1oz) flour
150ml (1⁄4pt) port
Sprig each of parsley and thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Crab-apple or redcurrant jelly
Parsley to garnish
100g (4oz) breadcrumbs
25g (1oz) shredded suet
1tbsp chopped parsley
2tsp chopped thyme
1 large egg, beaten
Salt and pepper
Soak the hare joints in cold salt water for 24 hours. Rinse thoroughly in cold water.
In a large casserole, blend the flour into the stock and slowly bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
Add half the port, hare joints, zest and juice of the lemon, onion, herbs and seasoning. Cover with a well-fitting lid. Cook in a moderately hot oven, 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4, for 21⁄2 hours.
Add the rest of the port, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and cook for a further 30 minutes.
For the forcemeat balls, mix together all the ingredients and form into eight balls. These can either be fried in shallow fat or baked in the oven for 1 hour.
Serve the hare straight from the casserole, decorated with fresh parsley, with the forcemeat balls and redcurrant jelly.
Hares shot in early autumn will often turn out to be well grown leverets distinguished by their slim build. The fillets cut from the length of the saddle will provide a gourmet supper for two. Use the legs for a casserole.
Saddle of a young hare
225g (8oz) mushrooms
Oil for frying
4tbsp lemon juice
2tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Sprig of rosemary, parsley and thyme
Salt and black pepper
Using a sharp knife remove the opaque skin from the saddle. Cut along the length of the saddle on one side of the back bone. Keep the knife close to the bone and remove the fillet in one long piece. Repeat on the other side. Carefully remove the two smaller underfillets.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a shallow dish. Coat the fillets in the marinade and leave to marinate for 8 hours turning the meat frequently.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the mushrooms and the two large fillets and cook for 10 minutes.
Strain the marinade into the pan. Add the two smaller fillets and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning the meat from time to time.
Transfer the fillets to a hot serving dish, garnish with the mushrooms and pour over the pan juices. Serve with a green salad.