Woodcock

Under cold white skies, the woodcock slips into the British Isles when the weather is bitter and the frosted puddles are crisp. Mysterious in their look and silent jinking flight, they are but ghosts, invisible once settled on the leafy woodland floor in their bespoke tweedy camouflage. Seen on the move at dusk, their silent flight in silhouette is an eerie wonder. Resident woodcock may be seen all year round, their numbers being swelled by visitors from northern Europe here to enjoy the milder winters. However, it still needs to be cold and in warm winters there will be few. Because of this, some shoots prefer the woodcock left alone, as it’s not every year they are now seen. This must be respected, but in a good cold winter I will take a few and cook them with reverence. The snipe is their tiny and equally delicious cousin who prefers the wetter ground of marshes, drains and bogs.