Peacock goat. This horned, average-sized goat originated in the Swiss Mountains and, as you would imagine, is hardy and agile, weather-resistant and comfortable in mountain pastures. It is also quite a friendly and docile goat. It is not a great milker. At maturity, a male Peacock Goat generally stands about 80 centimeters at the withers and weighs around 75 kilograms. Nannies follow at about 73 centimeters and weigh around 56 kilograms. The front quarters are white, except the legs which, like the rest of the animal are dark grey to black with white markings. The face has black stripes and spots. The first record of Peacock Goats is dated at 1887. Enthusiasts kept small numbers of Peacock Goats for many years, but the breed was not officially acknowledged until 1992, when its herd book was established.
Peacock goat. This horned, average-sized goat originated in the Swiss Mountains and, as you would imagine, is hardy and agile, weather-resistant and comfortable in mountain pastures. It is also quite a friendly and docile goat. It is not a great milker. At maturity, a male Peacock Goat generally stands about 80 centimeters at the withers and weighs around 75 kilograms. Nannies follow at about 73 centimeters and weigh around 56 kilograms. The front quarters are white, except the legs which, like the rest of the animal are dark grey to black with white markings. The face has black stripes and spots. The first record of Peacock Goats is dated at 1887. Enthusiasts kept small numbers of Peacock Goats for many years, but the breed was not officially acknowledged until 1992, when its herd book was established.
These cattle, primarily used for milk, are numerous in Switzerland, accounting for almost half the stock, and second only to Simmental. They are now widely found throughout western Europe, eastern block countries and Russia. They range in colour from a mousy brown to very dark brown.
The grey chanterelle is a fluted, trumpet-shaped, wild mushrooms with a ruffled edge, dark grey to black in colour. They are commonly found under pine, beech or birch trees from July until the first frosts and thrive in wet summers. They are usually sautéed in butter with chopped onions, but are not considered as tasty as the horn of plenty, which they resemble. (If gathering mushrooms you must be absolutely certain what you have before you eat them as many are very poisonous.)
Grey gurnard, the most common of the gurnards. Gurnards are strange-looking, bottom-feeding fish which use the three bottom rays of their pectoral fins to "feel" the sea bed. They have firm-textured white meat with not much flavour. They are rich in protein, iodine and phosphorus. The grey gurnard has a brownish-grey back and silver belly and all gurnards are very bony fish. Small ones are excellent in soup. Red or grey mullet (US: striped mullet) can generally be subsituted for it, and are usually better.
Female black grouse. Game birds which are trussed and roasted like a chicken. They can be shot from 20th August to 10 December although the season starts on 1st September in parts of the south. They can be hung for up to ten days. Like grouse, they are occasionally called moorgame, moorfowl or moorcock.
A silver, shoal-living fish pointed with dark grey which feeds on seaweed and plankton near the muddy bottom in estuaries and coastal waters. This can effect its flavour. However, a good grey mullet (US: striped mullet), caught in clean water, is round-bodied and has creamy white flesh and good flavour with good keeping capabilities. It must be thoroughly scaled before eating. Varieties are found all over the world. The roe is used for taramasalata, botargo, boutargue.
A lovely partridge, the male of which has a grey breast and terra cotta face and with dark, almost pigeon-like flesh. This is a gregarious bird which is seen in a tight-knit flock, usually beside or in cultivated fields where it can find the seeds and leaves it eats. Grey partridge are more numerous in the United Kingdom and have a more delicate flavour than the less common red-legged partridge.
A variety of plover. If they are eaten, they are usually gutted and roasted and served on buttered toast and garnished with lemon and watercress.
