Alive, Alive Ho.

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I have to admit that I don't fancy fried rattlesnake or saute'd rattlesnake or in fact, any kind of snake no matter how it is cooked. Whether that picture yesterday of a tin of Smoked Rattlesnake was genuine, I don't know. Jan mentioned in her comment that some people in the US do eat it.

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Here, the nearest we get to eating anything 'snake like', is the good old English eel.

Jellied Eels were very common years ago, especially in the east end of London.

The eel is actually a fish, highly nutritious, and its cooking liquor when boiled is naturally gelatinous, though gelatin is often added to this to ensure a well set liquid.

The liquor is spiced and flavoured - lemon and nutmeg are often used - with vegetable stock frequently forming the base of the liquid for extra flavour.

In London jellied eels are often accompanied by chilli vinegar and served with mashed potatoes and peas making a substantial meal. The eel is cut into pieces between an inch and two inches long, and care needs to be taken with the bones, perhaps one of the reasons for a decline in popularity of the dish.

Eel pie was formerly a popular dish, in which eels were cooked beneath a pastry lid, but in spite of the continued existence of Eel Pie Island whose name honours the dish, and celebrates the catching of the creatures there, the pie is a rare sight on menus or in households today.

Eel Pie Island is situated in the River Thames and was earlier known as Twickenham Ait. A bridge to the island was proposed in 1889, but it was not until 1957 that one was completed. Today, the island has about 50 houses with 120 inhabitants and some small businesses. It has nature reserves at either end, but there is no public access to these. The island is privately owned and the public can only access the main pathway from the bridge, to all the doors and gates of the houses and businesses on the island. On a few weekends a year the public can go into the collection of art studios, known as Eel Pie Island Art Studios.

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Eel bucks at Bray

Years ago, eels were a readily available source of food for the people of London with many eel 'fisheries' in the Thames until pollution killed them off. Most eels eaten today come from Ireland.

The old method of catching eels was to use these wicker baskets shown above and known as bucks. (And I am assured that they have nothing to do with the US dollar).

They were placed in backwaters to keep the main stream clear for navigation.

The live eels were then placed in barrels of water and shipped to the fish markets in London.

The music above "Catch 'em Alive Oh" is not referring to eel or cockles or mussels but would you believe.........flies!

The chap is selling Fly Papers!

Fancy writing a song about fly-papers?

They certainly chose strange titles in 1894

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