We are very lucky in our village to have a proper butcher's shop. I wish more people would use it, instead of buying their meat at the supermarket. Our butchers are Winston and Michael. They recently took delivery of some freshly caught rabbits and put them in the freezer. Winston will only accept rabbits that have been ferreted, so there's no damage to the carcas and no lead shot to break you teeth on. Michael chopped one up for me

- it made 6 good pieces. It made a wonderful casserole. Here's what I did:-

-I dipped the pieces in plain flour and browned them in a pan with a lump of butter and some olive oil.
-I set them aside in a heavy bottom casserole dish while I fried off two medium onions, roughly chopped and about 3 plump cloves of garlic (because you can never have enough garlic).
-I put the onions and garlic with the rabbit pieces.
-Then I fried up 4 carrots, chopped quite thick, a handful of button mushrooms and 3 celery sticks, also chopped, and then put these with the rabbit.
-Next I added three generous glasses of white wine (ours was homemade apple wine but anything would do - cider works too), and about half a pint of chicken stock made with a stock cube.
-Finally I added two teaspoons of whole grain mustard and some dried marjoram. (Fresh would have been better, but it's too early in the season).
-I brought the whole lot simmering point on the top of the stove, then put the lid on and put it in the oven at about 180 degrees c.
I was intending to cook it for about 2 hours but in the end, my husband had to see the end of the rugby and my neighbour turned up for a gin and tonic, so it was nearer 3 hours. I had looked at it once during cooking to make sure there was enough liquid.
We ate it with some boulangere potatoes (potatoes and onions baked in the oven in stock), but when I do it again, I'll serve it with mashed potatoes.

This recipe is a marriage of the rabbit recipe in Gary Rhodes' New British Classics, and the recipe of our neighbours in France, Georgette and Jean who say rabbit is "tres bon avec les carottes".