TV cook Rachel Allen has received hate mail after posting a picture of herself at a shoot with dead birds draped over the bonnet of her Chelsea Tractor.
The Irish celebrity chef, dressed in a wax jacket, flat cap, and holding a shotgun, smiles as she poses with four shot pheasants on her Audi four-wheel drive.
She posted the photo on her Facebook account with the message: “Enjoyed a great day's shooting in North Cork recently where I managed to get a few birds for our St Stephen's Day lunch.
“I'm going to make game terrine, the recipe for which is below. Wishing you all a merry Christmas and happy New Year!”
But it seems the festive goodwill was in short supply with a number of readers posting furious comments on the 39-year-old's page.
“I hope you have a shooting accident, and the gun is turned on you,” wrote one internet user, who logged in as Caroline Fitzgerald.
Another, Christina Swan-Doyle, blasted: “Hey Rachel, just wondering what’s on the menu tonight? Fox? Or maybe hound? You are a disgrace, absolutely disgusting behaviour. I hope the new year brings you all the karma that your due (sic).”
Annemarie Lucas added: “Ur a disgrace u horrible person..killing animals in that manner stick 2 your cooking im sure that needs improvement..shame on you (sic).”
Some of the comments were far worse, and made hate-filled, defamatory references to her family. But most fans were either indifferent or supported her actions, with 70 people ‘liking’ her photo.
“Well done Rachel Allen...great shooting! Had one bird myself today!” said fan David O’Leary.
Rory Allen, from Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry, Co Cork, Ireland, where Rachel teaches cooking courses, defended her actions, saying it was not unusual for a chef to kill their own food and many people ate game birds.
The row came as a hunt at Ballymaloe was slammed by anti-hunting campaigners, who accused the cooking school of breaking a commitment not to use hounds at their annual New Year's Day event. Mr Allen said that hounds were brought along to the fox hunt without permission, even though an agreement had been made.
"We're very embarrassed about the situation," he told the Irish Independent, adding that foxes were viewed as vermin, and he had lost a number of baby pigs and hens to foxes last year.
MORE: Gastropub chef gets hate mail for putting rook on the menu
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14 comments:
And yet not a word about her and her family helping a paedophile avoid punishment for his crimes!
There was one mention of it. Surprised she hasn't deleted the comments yet...
Some serious nutters out there!
They should do a hunt in Battersea - foxes are living the high life round my way.
Awful. Why would these people follow a cook and then post abuse on an open forum. Very ignorant.
I'm a happy carnivore, had two pheasants over Xmas, wild but purchased frozen. People can be just plain weird.
So embarrased that they called the Gardai on those that opposed the hunt?! They gave their WORD that they would not hunt with hounds. They broke their word.
Hunting with hounds has no place in a modern civilised society.
Wheres the sport in watching an live animal being hunted to its death and then ripped apart by a frenzied pack of dogs?
Oh, and ever heard of HUMANE fox traps there at Ballymaloe? after all, you have written that 'Ballymaloe is a haven for wildlife'?!
Yes, they were so embarassed that they called the Gardai?! Oh Please.
BOTH CHILDREN AND ANIMALS NEED TO BE PROTECTED FROM THESE PEOPLE.
You can be a meat eater.
You can be a chef who cooks meat.
But bragging about going hunting and killing the animals yourself is going a bit over the top.
Hunting is animal cruelty.
Boycott their products - one way to hit them where it hurts. Tastier and cheaper relish in he Lidl. Disfunctional family - all the trappings of wealth, yet none of the compassion of a normal "mother" and family.
Disgusted with them allowing the hunt next or near there land . Such a dated , cruel carry on. Always bought their different relishes for sandwiches but glad to say Aldi have a alternative - won't be buying them anymore .
Hi there Anonymous,
RE: last comment...did you mean Audi?
Anonymous you are out of your minds. Hunting foxes isn't a way ( as you urbanites think) of posh men watching animals being (ripped apart) the dogs don't simply get frenzied and rip them apart. It is in fact a very swift death form a bite to the next. In the same way that rays are pests because they eat human food foxes are too as they kill many chickens and then usually only eat one! They are vermin and one picture of this woman having been on a shoot to complain is just prissy.
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