(In season September to March) Required: One hare.

Three-quarters of a pint of stock.

Two ounces of butter or dripping.

One and a half ounce of flour.

Half a teaspoonful of chopped shallot or onion.

Half a teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, a pinch of thyme.

Milk for basting.

Salt and pepper.

A slice of fat bacon. For the Forcemeat:

Half a pound of lean veal.

Quarter of a pound of beef suet.

Two ounces of fat bacon.

Two tablespoonfuls of fresh breadcrumbs.

Two teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley.

Half a teaspoonful of chopped onion.

Two eggs.

Salt and pepper.

A pinch of nutmeg.

To make the forcemeat: Pass the veal twice through a mincing machine, then pound it in a mortar with the suet and bacon; pass it through a wire sieve, and add the rest of the ingredients and seasoning to taste.

If possible, choose a young hare for roasting. Skin and draw it, and wipe the inside with a damp cloth. Press some forcemeat lightly inside the hare, then, with a trussing needle and fine string, sew up the body. Then truss it in position.

To do this, press the hindlegs towards the head and bring the forelegs backwards to the hind ones. One skewer can then be passed through the two legs on one side, through the body, and the other two legs on the other side. Press the head back, pass a skewer through the top of the shoulder, the back of the neck, and out through the top of the opposite shoulder.

Brush the hare all over with melted butter or dripping, cover the back with slices of fat bacon, tying it in place with string. Roast the hare either before a clear fire or in a moderate oven, from one and a half to two hours, basting it frequently with milk.

Meanwhile, wash the liver and carefully remove the gall-bladder. Put the liver in a pan with some cold water, bring it to the boil, then let it cook for five minutes; next drain it from water and chop it finely.

Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the liver, onion, parsley, and thyme, and fry them for ten minutes. Pound the liver until smooth; stir the flour into the butter, and cook it until it is a good brown, then add the stock or some of the milk with which the hare was basted. Stir until it boils, then add the liver and seasoning to taste, and let it simmer gently for ten minutes. If liked, add a glass of port wine to this sauce.

When the hare is about three-parts cooked, take off the bacon, dredge the back with a little flour, and baste it often just before the cooking is finished. Take out the skewers and string, put the hare on a hot dish, garnish it with forcemeat balls, and serve with liver sauce and red-currant jelly.

The forcemeat balls: Shape whatever forcemeat is left over, after stuffing the hare, into small balls, brush each over with beaten egg, then cover with breadcrumbs. Fry them a golden brown in hot fat, and drain them well on paper.