CHRISTMAS IS COMING…
Christmas is all about the bird.
In Britain, it's goose or turkey, the bigger the better, fortified by as many extras – roasties, brussels sprouts, chestnuts, gravy, mashed swedes, bread sauce – as the cook can handle.
In France, the festive bird of choice is feathered game – partridge, pheasant, quail – none of which is as plentiful as they once were in the vineyards and orchards of rural France. This explains the popularity of guinea fowl, a barnyard bird native to African savanna which never really lost the wilderness urge, and prefers, somewhat inconveniently, to roost in trees.
As a starter: oysters blitzed under the grill with a crisp little hat of breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and a scrap of butter. To finish: prune and walnut tart…