I’m French-Canadian; my dad grew up on a farm (plus does a lot of hunting), and my mom is an incredibly resourceful cook. Add all those together, and ‘nose-to-tail’ eating has been part of our family dinners since I can remember. Some of the things you’ve cooked (tongue, heart, headcheese) are things I’m familiar with and love eating, and some (spleen!) I’ve never even thought of trying. So thanks for making it seem so easy — now I have no excuse.

Back to the subect: headcheese. I’m a huge fan of French-Canadian-style headcheese, which is pretty much exactly like the above, except for a few crucial flavouring switchups. We don’t use any vinegar or lemon (actually, whenever I’ve tried non-FC headcheese, I’ve found the sourness really offputting). And we add a good spoonful of quatre-epices, plus a little extra ground cloves, to the stock at the very end, just before pouring it into the mold. I like it on hot buttered toast.