My kids' dad fed them badger

[Loulamummy]

I'm not joking. We are separated and he sees them for the day once every few weeks. Last week he took them for the day in London and when I picked them up they told me, very casually, that Daddy had given them badger with rice for lunch. He had sent me a picture a few days earlier of a dead badger so it is totally plausible, and given that he has been homeless for the last couple of years and often 'lives off the land' I am certain he would not think twice about eating a badger. He told the kids that he steamed the meat for 4hrs but now i'm really worried about the whole TB thing. They seem fine but not sure if I should get them checked out. Any words of wisdom?

[SucksToBeYouHun]

Well this thread escalated quickly 😂😂

[waxy1]

This looks like a nice recipe. Think I’ll have badger pie instead of a cake next birthday.

[MissMisery]

Is it just me, or does 'steaming a badger at the natural history museum' sound like a euphemism for a very rude sexual practise?

[Chucknology]

I'm not sure this is made up - nothing's black and white in life. Can't believe all these bah humbug people reporting it.

[Iused2BanOptimist]

MissMisery doesn't Gwyneth Paltrow subscribe to a fad for steaming a certain part? Am I confusing badgers with beavers?

[BlackBeltInChildWrangling]

I'd like to give the OP a round of appaws for this TB, (Thread, Brilliant).

She was setting herself up for a hare-raising time on here. She could have squirrelled herself away, but she hasn't batted an eyelid at all the badgering she's received.

Some of us thought we'd smelt a rat, and tried but failed to weasel anything out of her. Deer MNHQ had to send in a mole to investigate but couldn't find anything fishy. There has, however, been the odd twit twoo and snake in the grass, who can just go whistle.

Many of us have rabbited on and slugged it out, (while learning more from eachother about homelessness, contact and numerous other things). We've snacked on mice cakes and, of course, those tasty vole-au-vents from the sett menu.

Without a hint of toadiness, but with a slight frog in my stoat, I say that the OP has perhaps outfoxed us all, and earned her mumsnet AIBU stripes.

[Ignoramusgiganticus]

A great summary of the thread black

A gold mumsnet badge(r) for you.

[ErrolTheDragon]

MNHQ how is this not in classics yet??

I think they have a conflab periodically to decide which threads are classics-worthy. This one made the Talk roundup at least already.

[parchworkpatty]

When I was a child, our best family friends were a very posh single mum (artist) and her 4 kids who lived in a fairly isolated house at the end of a track.

On more occasions than I can remember, driving home , (1970s) the mum would swerve all over the road to try and hit whatever creature she could dispatch as road kill. This usually consisted of rabbit. However both squirrel and badger were also victims of the 'shooting-brake killer.' .

As soon as she had a 'hit' the brakes were slammed on - eldest child (about 11yrs) leaped out the back and chucked the unlucky victims in his always-ready sack.

Whatever we hit going up the road was always in the pot within a few hours. So I have definitely eaten badger and squirrel. Hedgehogs were baked in mud (they weren't endangered like they are now - but perhaps that's why)
Can't remember how they taste but it doesn't stand out as bad from memory.
For my part I hated the killing part. 7 kids in the car going quite fast, swerving to hit the prey. Most of the kids excited by it. I was a bit embarrassed- as a farmers daughter to be so 'wet' about killing animals for food. But in mitigation I was only 6/7.

OP- I see nothing wrong in what he did. I assume he knows how to live off the land and also seems to be bothered with the kids. So win win.

[musthavejumpers]

Parchwork sounds like something from a Tom Sharpe novel!

[parchworkpatty]

It's so weird to think about it now... and yet so fucking normal then.

Sunday mornings on our front doorstep, my dad stood there wringing the necks of chickens for the same friend (she weirdly had an aversion to this method of killing ) .. whilst my mother ushered us of to the family service .. yes, maybe a little Tom Sharpe-esque now you say it. Perfectly normal at time .

[parchworkpatty]

My DH wants to add that he thinks the dad is on one big wind up.
I am not so sure - having lived it.

[Conseulabananahammock]

Didnt even have the common decency to serve it with guaca-mole

Ill get my coat..

[FreezerBird]

it will take more than a dead badger in a museum before you can stop contact

[Atchiclees]

DH and I are having an argument over badger sandwiches. He says white bread, brown sauce and I think granary bread with mayo is best. Neither of us know what badger tastes like but he is an experienced moose eater so expects there will be leftovers with the badger. not a euphemism
Also we are considering what stuffing flavour would be best, we suspect apricot stuffing would go well. Duck a l’orange, pork and apple, turkey and cranberry, badger and apricot, makes sense.

[Conseulabananahammock]

Id personally have said badger with some pine nut stuffing on a ciabatta.

[parchworkpatty]

In reality as far as I recall - it was served up as 'badger casserole ' so I guess the accompanying flavours were mushrooms, tomatoes herbs and spices.. what herbs and spices one would choose for such a dish however - that's the conundrum...

[Spongeface]

The rabbit was in my dreams. Or nightmares?

[Conseulabananahammock]

Parchworkpatty basil i reckon. Maybe some dumplings

[CocoHoney]

Wow that's gross. I'm sure Badgers are protected animals! You better check on that.. 🤔 In the meantime, kindly tell your ex partner that you're uncomfortable with him feeding your children dead forest animals, they could have all sorts of diseases.

[SoupDragon]

I'm sure Badgers are protected animals!

The OP didn't kill the badger herself!

[SoupDragon]

OP's partner.

[CocoHoney]

Obviously. I'm doing check on it so she can tell her ex he shouldn't be killing Badgers.

[CocoHoney]

I'm saying I mean

[BlackBeltInChildWrangling]

Thank you very much, Ignora. I give a lot of hoots for my mumsnet gold badge(r).