Boiled Partridge

When my parents built their house, my father cut down a small juniper tree and peeled the bark off it – just like peeling the stem of an artichoke – so he was left with a beautiful pale wood stand with the branches on it, like a hat rack. When he shot partridges, we’d pluck and gut them then hang them on this stand, head on (because some people eat the head), for at least 24 hours; partridge season is September to October, so it’s autumn and cool enough for them to hang in the house. It’s i