Name: To Roast a Cygnet
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: United Kingdom
Ingredients: beef dripping or good fat; stuffing; flour and butter to baste; water paste; pepper and salt.; lemon juice; red currant jelly, a kitchen spoonful; Good beef gravy: thicken with ½ oz. flour to every pint of stock; port wine; port wine ¼ pint.; salt and herbs; onion; pepper; lemon rind; chopped parsley; Rump steak ½—2 lb.; gravy.; A young cygnet; powdered herbs; cloves and allspice

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
15 min

Appears in

Good Things in England

By Florence White

Published 1932

About

This is a family recipe belonging to Lady Grantham, Barcombe Place, near Lewes, Sussex. Her daughter, who sends it, says, ‘I have used it in the good old days, and it is so good.’

Ingredients

A young cygnet
powdered herbs
cloves and allspice
beef dripping or good fat
water past

Method

Pick and draw as you would a goose.
Mix together powdered herbs, cloves and spice, and rub well into the bird inside and out.
Make the stuffing: mince the steak well, add the chopped parsley, etc., mix with the port wine and stuff the bird.
Truss the cygnet, being careful to sew both ends well over to prevent the gravy escap