Quails

It is now easy to order quails direct from a quail farm or to get a poulterer to do so. Probably the wild birds which our ancestors ate and which the Romans particularly prized had a better flavour, but they are now impossibly scarce. There are hundreds of traditional ways of cooking and serving quail. I shall give only two, both of which are traditional in England. Quails are always eaten fresh and, unlike woodcock and figpeckers, are drawn. Usually they are stuffed. I am not here giving any of the recipes which require boning, as it is difficult to get this done by the poulterer and very tiresome to do yourself.