A step too far

By Paul Fulford on Oct 12, 08 05:03 PM

Many and various are the bits of animal I've eaten - this lack of squeamishness the result, I guess, of spending my early years with a gran who used to buy live eels and bash in their brains on the kitchen table as I looked on.

But yesterday I saw a tray of grotesque items on a tray at a butrcher's stall that really made no appeal whatsoever....cows' feet.

They were huge, ugly, dull in colour and looked as though they did not have on them much meat at all.

I can't begin to imagine how they might be used, unless to enrich stews or soups. Or maybe used as clubs in armed robberies.

I'm a fan of pigs' trotters and have even sampled the (questionable) delights of sheep's feet. But cows' feet look to me as though they would be a step too far.