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Keith

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I thought perhaps a list of food animals available in the UK might be a good idea, especially those less thought of these days. My Father was born in 1904, I I remember him telling me about how the poorer village children would hunt for food using sticks & catapults. So I will start off this list, & perhaps other here can add to it.
recht_Still_Life_with_Games_and_Vegetables_REDUCED.jpg

Adriaen van Utrecht Still Life with Games and Vegetables.

Sparrows.
Very finicky work I would imagine plucking & gutting but there are a lot of hedge & house sparrows in the UK & they are wide spread.
Blackbird. A little larger than the sparrow & my Father assured me that they tasted like chicken.
Hedge Hog. I read somewhere that these are quite good eating.
Shrimp. I used to do a lot of shrimping as a lad. Not sure how safe this would be post shtf, but worth a thought if you are on the coast.
Pigeons. Carrier & wood pigeons, I assume there are still plenty around.
Rabbit. A well known food source but not considered to be a sustaining food. It is said that you can still starve if all you eat is rabbit!
Hare. Not as prolific as rabbit but a larger animal & well worth the hunt.
Squirrels. Red & Grey. Found in many forests & woodlands.
Ducks. Many types of ducks available, the Mallard probably the best known.
Geese. A large bird worth seeking out.
Swan. These are a good food source & will be fair game post shtf. Geese & swans are found anywhere there is water.
Pheasant. Makes a tasty dish. Poachers would often kill pheasants at night whilst they were roosting in woodlands by using a spike on a long pole. Like ducks & many other fowl they can also be caught on baited fish hooks.
Partridge. Well camouflaged on the ground so keep your eyes skinned!
Grouse. Small bird but well worth the effort.
Snipe. Good eating but a difficult bird to hunt due to its dip & rise of flight.
Water Birds. Most animals are edible, but some taste better than others. Water birds other than those mentioned above are edible but it is claimed by many that they have a fishy taste. However, still edible so worth noting. Maybe a good dash of curry powder would improve the taste!
Frogs. Another animal that is found where ever there is water. I have eaten frog but only added to a duck & potato stew, so can't attest to its flavour.
Fish. Many types to choose from. Worth carrying some tackle with you if there is water nearby.

Starlings are another bird that is very common in the UK, but I don't know if they have ever been used for food. Certainly worth trying though.

All the above can be hunted, other than the shrimp of course, with an air rifle or trapped.
Keith.
 
wild boar.
several types of deer, red roe muncjack and some Chinese water deer.
rats.
mice.
crayfish.
 
Last edited:
wild boar.
several types of deer, red roe muncjack and some Chinese water deer.
rats.
mice.
crayfish.
I have an aversion to eating rats & mice, dogs & cats too! Fortunately there is so much other food available here I will never have to eat these.
Keith.
 
Badgers - although they take some prep work to make edible and a decent appetite to tackle them.
 
Land snails thrive in the UK, razor shells, cockles, limpets, crabs etc......should you ever really hit rock bottom then you can collect earthworms for the protein
 
I'm serious it was really quite nice,I can't remember eating frog though, frogs certainly look more appetising.
 
nice one Prime, i'll have to have a look at that one later, maybe order a copy.
done, ordered.
 
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