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Fergus Henderson - who as a chef has won international praise for his warm pig’s heads and squirrel skewers

The book contains lots of things you wouldn't expect to find in Delia Smith, or Betty Crocker over here-pig's hearts, pig's ears, even a pig's head. Is there some element of provocation?
Erm, no. It doesn't seem weird to me to braise a pig's head. There's nothing finer than sharing a pig's head with your loved one. Pig's ears are fantastic. None of it's meant to be weird or shock factor. It's there because it's delicious and, erm, it seems polite once you've knocked an animal on the head to eat it all.

Even the squirrel skewers?
Well squirrel, when the game season comes to an end, game keepers cull the vermin, and in February there's all this squirrel around. It's delicious, like an oily, wild rabbit. But I did get a few death threats.

Really?
Yes, in fact one that was so vehement we actually called the police. And I got this chap on the phone from CID [British detectives] going, "Excuse me, Mr.Henderson, but why is it you've got this?” and I said, "I've been cooking squirrel,” and he went, "squirrel, sir?”, and I thought they'd send the policeman round to come and beat me up aswell. But again, I didn't mean to shock anyone, and since then it's been on the menu every year in February, and no problems.