Guest blog from Game to Eat: Game For It

We have always known that wild game is wild (hence the name), healthy and extremely delicious. Whether it is deer, pheasant, grouse or rabbit, they live off the land –browsing and grazing on whatever food they find. (for BigBarn on rabbit click here) They have no boundaries – a far comparison to farmed livestock – and on a daily basis they have to escape danger, resulting in the use of their muscles. Their lean meat, coupled with the food that they forage on, makes for a distinctive and lovely taste.

Like I said, we have always known this, but the majority of the public are still only just starting to appreciate the true wonders of cooking with game. There have certainly been large increases in the number of people cooking with game over the last 12 months, thanks in part to a few traces of horse meat. Ever since the scandal hit, supermarkets profits have started to fall and local producers are seeing plenty of this re-directed business. Who knew the scandal would have such a happy ending?

Alongside this the public are demanding new foods to try, foods which are both trustworthy and local. With help from Jamie, Gordon, Nigella etc., there has been a huge rise in the home chef and this is where wild game really comes to the front. The general public want new and exciting ingredients; chicken out partridge and pigeon in.

Rabbit, with its truly traumatic history, is once again on the rise, venison too has seen a 400% rise in sales, and pheasant and partridge are now being found in nearly every restaurant and gastro-pub.

The best news is that it is no longer being roasted until it turns to dust; new and fun ways of cooking with these meats are being developed. Alongside the game pies and sausages – we are seeing more and more tasty and unusual combinations, such as; burgers, soups, pasta sauces and even wild game savoury muffins! Every season the number of game food products rises, proving that game can be used just as easily as the more usual meats.

We are desperate to ride this wave whilst it is strong, every year we produce recipe after recipe (some more unusual than others) in a bid to open peoples mind to the endless possibilities. The Game to Eat initiative sends out over 50,000 recipe leaflets every year and we also teach at numerous catering colleges, ensuring our future chefs know not just how to cook game but how it is sourced and prepared.

For more information about Game to Eat, or to download recipes or order recipe leaflets and booklets visit www.gametoeat.co.uk