Tebbit's 'shoot it, eat it' book

Lord Tebbit said his mother sparked his interest in cooking

Former Conservative chairman Lord Tebbit is writing a book about how to cook game such as pheasant, partridge and rabbit, he has revealed.

Lord Tebbit said he had spent the last three years working on the book, which he hopes will include 100 recipes.

The peer, whose favourite recipe is partridge with pears and cheese, enjoys hunting for game and cooking it.

Lord Tebbit, 76, told the Sunday Times: "I shoot to cook and eat, or to take it to the local butchers."

He said shooting "for the sake of it" was "pointless".

The Tory peer, who was a prominent figure in Margaret Thatcher's governments, said his mother was the daughter of a butcher and she had sparked his interest in cooking.

He said: "She taught me to skin rabbits. To this day I can think of few things better than shooting a bird, plucking it, cooking it and then eating it.

"My mother said that if you never learn to cook you never learn to eat."