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Published on July 24th, 2013 | by The Town Crier

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Horse’s Mouth

At Town Crier, we occasionally get letters from readers seeking advice on all manner of personal situations. They could be questions of etiquette, social faux-pas or family matters. We are always happy to help and so we have enlisted the help of a local stalwart who in her own words has seen it all and calls a spade a gardener. Lady Ophelia d’Knight, (Offa to her friends, but we’re allowed to call her lady d’Knight), will be happy to answer any of your queries in future issues.

Dear Lady d’Knight

I’ve recently been enjoying what I believe to be a quite unusual sight, well in my 55 years I have not witnessed it before. A pair of Red Legged Partridge have taken up residence somewhere nearby and I often see them in my garden where they stop to peck the ground. When I hear their distinctive ‘Ku ku choo’ cry, I rush to the window to observe them. But I was wondering, what is the best way to cook them?

KW

Dear KW

Are you suggesting that these 2 are for the pot, or is it just a thought process? I was getting some warm fuzzy feelings for you until I got to the end of your letter. There is nothing wrong with hunting or shooting, or fishing for that matter but never make the mistake of getting attached to your prey first. Besides, the open season for partridge doesn’t start until 1st September.

If it’s a general enquiry, the average partridge will only serve 1 person and young birds are best simply fried, grilled or roasted at a high temperature for a short while. If it’s a tough old bird, it will need a little bit more attention but will become more tender with a good bottle or 2 of Pinot Noir. (I hope my husband is reading this)

Lady d’Knight

Dear Lady d’knight

We are in the process of re-decorating our sitting room and my wife would like to install a large book case. Nothing wrong with that but she’s insisting that we should only display more weighty tomes such as Dickens, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, John Milton and so on. Although I would love people to think I have read all of these, I’m worried that if questioned, I will be found sorely lacking as to their content. I’m sure I could bluff my way through some of the classics thanks to the BBC and their splendid serialisation of Dickens, Austen and so on. Generally, however, I find this type of display rather ostentatious, what is your opinion?

CS

Dear CS

I tend to agree with you on this subject although personally we have a very extensive library with many first editions, so I can only blame my ancestors. At the end of the day, if you put Barbara Windsor in front of a book shelf containing the Complete Works of Shakespeare, she’d still be the ‘Carry On’ actress, landlady of the Queen Vic etc. If you put Stephen Fry in front of a book shelf carrying the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, he’d still be an intellectual and not suddenly heterosexual. You are who you are and your home should reflect that.

If you can’t persuade your wife otherwise, please try to buy second-hand copies so at least you can claim to have inherited them and not read them, and don’t buy anything that was at one time available to purchase on a monthly basis.

Lady Offa d’Knight


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