Wood cock is described by the French as “Mordorée, the golden queen of the woodland”. They have a mystery about them, being linked to only flying with the full moon, the first “fall” always about the end of October, the one nearest All Hallows’ Eve, the next longer “fall” comes with the following moon. In fact, they fly throughout the late winter months and they rely on a north-easterly wind to carry them over the North Sea from Scandinavia and northern Germany in search of food from less frozen grounds. When hunted, or flushed from its cover, it twists and turns left and right, flying more erratically as it gathers speed and with all this excitement, it proceeds to defecate and empty its bowels, thus allowing the bird to be roasted and eaten whole, innards un’ all. Gioacchino Rossini was a prolific Italian composer and also a lover of gastronomic food; most dishes bearing his name contain foie gras and truffles.