Run rabbit run rabbit run run run, don’t give Andrew a gun gun gun. Yup it’s that man, the Mr Mcgregor of Peter Rabbits world.
Just look at that smile, what a cutie
However, contrary to popular perception, this man is as lovely and warm as slow cooked rabbit casserole, served with homemade sourdough and gobbled up by a fire. He doesn’t even use a gun. As they are all dispatched by hand (a method called chining which limits suffering and kills them instantly).
What a place to work, beats any industrial-lit basement kitchen or bleak office space
Andrew prevents the overpopulation of rabbits of three estates set in the stunning Yorkshire Dales.
The rabbits are put into game trays to keep them fresh as they travel. Its important to give them space and keep them cool.
“I’ve been rabbiting all my life, I’ve done it as a hobby since I was 14” Andrew tells me. He doesn’t shoot the rabbits, but rather guides them into long nets using ferrets and dogs. He tries to minimise the bruising where possible: “I’ll tell the lads to gut them straight away so no acids build up in the stomach. We’ll then hang them so they’re kept fresh — they’re respected, not knocked about.”
Once Andrew gets home, the rabbits are hung in a chiller to keep fresh at 3 degrees
Previously selling to butchers, wholesalers and old age pensioners, he heard about us through Carwyn of Maerdy farm and decided that in order to pursue his dream of making rabbitting full-time he wanted to go direct to chefs instead through Foodchain.
The building industry’s loss, is the hospitality industry’s gain. For if you want to pull the rabbit out of the hat in a dish this January— Andrew could be your golden ticket.
Rabbit is wild and hormone free. They’ve had a good life and should be on more of London’s menus. Andrew is happy to give any chef a run around the Yorkshire Dales with him if they want to learn more about the lives of their produce and the rabbiters!
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