Why Eat Wild Rabbit?

Wild rabbit meat, which is leaner and tastier than the farmed variety, has a fabulous subtle, gamey flavour (very different from richly flavoured hare). It is available throughout the year but you're more likely to find the best sized rabbits from July to December. Rabbit meat is relatively low in fat and high in protein. It is a good source of niacin, iron, phosphorus, and vitamin B12. Regional dishes reflect the fact that rabbit is very versatile and works well with those flavours often used in chicken dishes, such as mustard and cream (France), tomato and herbs (Italy), and chilli (South America). Get hold of some rabbit and try one of the great recipes.

The rabbit is native to North Africa and Spain. The Romans began importing rabbits to Italy in around the third century BC. From the fifteenth century on it was common practice for sailors and explorers to release breeding rabbits on islands to provide a supply of fresh meat. The rabbit is now found throughout Europe, South America and Australasia.

Today rabbit meat is gaining in popularity in Britain It has long been appreciated much more elsewhere in Europe and appears regularly on the dinner table in Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, and Cyprus.

The rabbit is a member of the family Leporidae, which includes the hare. Rabbits are gregarious and nocturnal animals that feed on grasses and herbaceous plants but will also eat bark when grass is not available. Rabbits are highly efficient at converting plant proteins into animal proteins (their conversion rate is double that of cattle, for example).

Unlike much of Europe, rabbit is rarely seen in UK supermarkets, but is available from some butchers and farm shops. It is also available directly by mail order from a number of suppliers, such as us.

Select rabbits by size; they should be large enough to yield a decent amount of meat, but not too large. Wild rabbits much larger than 1kg are prone to be tough. We select the younger, smaller animals will be more tender and better suited to quick cook methods such as roasting or barbecuing. Larger, older rabbits will have more flavour but may be less tender and so better suited to slower cooking.

Fresh rabbit will keep in the fridge for several days (or longer if vacuum packed) and will freeze well particularly if vacuum packed.

To joint a rabbit: cut the hind quarters away from the body and separate the legs. Halve the leg joints. Cut the body (saddle) horizontally through the backbone into two or three portions, stopping at the rib cage. Cut lengthways through the breastbone and divide the ribcage section in half.

As rabbit meat is very lean, care should be taken to prevent it from drying out during cooking. Marinating or barding (covering in a fat or wrapping in bacon) can help moisten the flesh during roasting or barbecuing.

As there is some fat on the shoulders, they have that bit more taste - and even more noticeable if you grill or barbeque them. There is more meat on the shoulder than you might think.