Required: Four pigeons. One carrot. One onion.

A bunch of parsley and herbs. Four slices of bacon. Two cloves, four peppercorns. Stock to cover.

Wash and clean the gizzards, necks, and hearts of the birds, and put them in a casserole or stewing-jar. Cut the vegetables into dice, put these in the casserole, also the herbs, cloves, and peppercorns, and on these lay the slices of bacon. Chop the livers, sprinkle them with a little pepper and salt, and put some into each bird, then put the birds on the bacon. Pour in enough stock to cover the whole, put the lid on the casserole, and allow the contents to simmer very slowly for about an hour, or until they feel tender. Lift the birds on to a hot dish, strain the stock into another pan, and skim it very carefully. Cut the carrot into neat dice, and keep it hot. Next boil the stock until it is reduced to barely a pint, season it carefully, and pour it round the birds, garnishing the dish with little heaps of carrot dice.

N.B. - If preferred for any reason, cut the birds in halves before cooking.