Well, there I was, sitting in the cosy bar of The Ship enjoying a spiced glass of mulled red wine, my mind totally devoted to the many aspects of council affairs, the re-location of the public lavatories, where should we place the revamped Tourist Centre, problems of main street parking - always somebody else's car and never ever yours!

All good local issues, when in enters my great mate, the best shot in the village (well possibly the best shot), bearing in his hands a fine weather-beaten hessian poke from whose open end protruded the beautiful tail feathers of two cock pheasants. And that was not all, David carefully placed the brimming sack on my lap with words to the effect that in its ancient interior were the aforementioned pheasants plus another brace and (joy of joys!) two brace of mallard, to me the two most desirable roasts on any gourmet menu.

Yes, to me local game, whether flesh or fowl, is a great gastronomic treat and certainly, due to the oversupply of pheasant, relatively cheap, even at the town butcher or game dealer.

I suppose you could say the term "game" applies to wild animals, wild birds, that are hunted, shot or trapped. I suppose that sounds a bit barbarous to some folk, but that's what getting game means. However, there is a close season when it's against the law or local custom to hunt or kill the poor creatures!

Well, just now, all types of game are in abundant supply and relatively cheap.

OK, so once you've been given, shot, or bought your pheasant, partridge, or wild duck, you've got to prepare them for cooking. Now, for roasting, all game should be young, and about the only way to tell if you bird is young, is to see it with the feathers on.

The plumage should be soft, the beak and feet pliable and the breast plump. However, if you buy your bird from a reputable dealer ready for the oven, you should be pretty safe. It is more difficult with, say, a hare or a joint of venison, and having trust in your dealer is a must. Once bought your bird, beast, or joint will be ready to be grilled, roasted or casserolled according to your taste.

However, with fresh gifted game, such is young David presented to me, hanging is essential to develop the fine flavours and a touch of tenderness.

This doesn't mean the beast or bird is hung until it's half rotten before you skin or pluck it and bung it in the oven! Also, this is very important, you should take particular note of the weather when you hang your game because in relatively warm, humid weather, you don't need to hang the creature for as long as in cold, frosty weather.

If you've bought yours ready to cook your butcher will guide you as to what state of "gaminess" your grouse, partridge, pheasant or chunk of venison, has reached.

In the days when I plucked my own birds I'd only hang them for about five to seven days.

They'd be hung up by their beaks with the guts in, in the darker, cooler part of the garage, just above a redundant rabbit hutch, high enough off the ground to keep them out of the way of any marauding cats.

Hare would be hung by their hind feet with a little plastic bag or cup, over their furry faces to catch any blood that might drip. I used to hang a hare for a week to 10 days.

Actually, birds or for that matter hares, that have been hung, are relatively easy to pluck or skin because the process of decomposition loosens the fur or feathers.

Mind you, I wouldn't advise anyone to start plucking a pheasant, a brace of partridge or skinning a hare, if you haven't done it before, because you could get into a terrible mess, particularly when you are drawing out the guts! It's also a bit of a niffy job as well.

Also, if you don't put a band of Vaseline round your wrists and have a bath after you've plucked or skinned your game, you might feel just a bit itchy from the odd flea-type mites that could have transferred their affections and domicile to you. And, quite honestly, with hares, paunching the poor blighter and collecting the blood for the gravy could put you off all game and turn you into an almost instant vegetarian!

No, I honestly think that if anyone is kind enough to give you a brace of birds, a fine young hare, by all means hang them, but I'd take them to your friendly, neighbourhood butcher for the processes of preparing them for the oven.

Of course, today, in the era of the deep freeze, you can purchase, or store, game right round the year.But to me, as with many frozen meats, our game from the freezer just doesn't have that tangy taste.

Perhaps, before one ventures into the more esoteric aspects of game cuisine, it might be as well to see if you really like jugged hare, roast mallard or pheasant and, in this aspect, we are very fortunate in the North because we have some of the finest restaurants serving game, in season, in the whole of the UK.

So there it is folks! This late winter have a go next time you dine out, or dine in, at a pheasant, mallard, partridge or grouse - even a casserolled jugged hare.

And as sure as eggs are eggs (free range, or course), I bet you'll acquire a real gamey taste for game!