Untitled - Beeldbibliotheek

MEALS AND SUPPLIES 193the few occasions on which I have been able feeblyto reach out toward the caravanner's ideal of"living off the country." In that respect myshortcomings are great. I have never baked ahedgehog in a ball of clay. I have never in mylife used young nettles in the place of spinach.Nay, though I may blush to discover the fact, Ihave never poached a hare, nor trapped a rabbit.The caravanner who can go on from day to daymaking himself light and salutary meals from theherbage of the hedgerow and the berries on thebank has, of course, my respectful admiration.But beyond a few trout,some blackberries andmushrooms, we did nothing in all the course ofour experience to cull our daily fare as we wenton. The plain truth is that, faced with theproblems of the commissariat, I have only onemiserable solution to offer. Give me shops.But the mushrooms were great. It is a realjoy to handle anything so delicate and beautifulas one of these perfect little domes, with itscovering of soft, sleek white kid and the deliciousdull pink wavering ribs within. As a cook I askfor nothing better to play with. We tried themin many ways, but the best of all was this. (I amnot fond of giving advice to caravan cooks, for Idon't expect other people to follow my peculiar