This story is slightly inspired by the trip to the country in Withnail and I, including the awkward chicken killing scene. I spent a while looking up how a pheasant actually looks when it’s plucked, but decided to go with something less gory with a pile of feathers instead of keeping the feet on.

While hunting for reference photos I stumbled upon Janice Poon’s blog, who is the food artist behind the gorgeous (and horrifying) meals in the recent Hannibal series. It’s worth a gander if you have a strong constitution!