Fair Game
LONG the preserve of tweedy aristocrats, Madonna and the hunting and shooting set, game hasn't always been the most accessible of ingredients. All those different seasons, hanging times and unnecessarily elaborate recipes make this lean, healthy meat seem far more complicated than it need be. But in reality, by following a few simple guidelines and putting your trust in a licensed game dealer, you can easily track down great value, delicious game - without ever having to don a deerstalker.
Feathered Game
Most birds bought online will be 'oven-ready', that is, plucked, eviscerated and plastic-wrapped. Ideally, you would buy them 'in feather', uneviscerated 'long leg', then hung for up to 15 days - any longer is considered 'old school'. Realistically, your dealer will do all that for you. Signs of quality include intact skin, fluff on the legs and a slight bittersweet smell (an indication of age). Look for birds wrapped in paper, not sweating under plastic.
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Grouse The first day of shooting may be the 'Glorious Twelfth', but grouse get more glorious as they age and fatten up, switching from a heather to a berry-rich diet. In Yorkshire - grouse heartland - they prefer it once the temperature drops in mid-October. Prices halve soon after the season starts. |
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Partridge Two species of partridge are shot in the UK, the red-leg (French) partridge and the rarer grey (English) partridge. The latter is the connoisseur's preferred bird, boasting beautiful white meat and a gamey flavour. |
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Pheasant Often hung for the bare minimum these days. A correctly hung bird will have a more pronounced flavour and tender flesh. Pheasant are reared more intensively these days, and are therefore fatter than their truly wild forebears. |
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Wild Duck Mallard is the most common wild duck. Less fatty than farmed duck, it is served rare to enhance the delicate flavour. Supply of smaller ducks like teal and widgeon is weather-dependent and unpredictable. |
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Furred Game
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Venison The species of deer you're most likely to encounter are red, fallow and roe - roe being favoured for for its gamey flavour. Based on the per kilo price, venison seems dearer than beef, but being lean and fine-grained, it shrinks less and is more filling so portions can be smaller. Farmed venison won't deliver the full flavour of a well-exercised wild beast but it will be consistent in texture and flavour. When buying wild, buy from licensed dealer to guarantee the animal has been correctly culled and butchered. Untrimmed bullet damage and bruising damages prime cuts and leaves a liver-like taste. Look for a deep but bright colour, white (not yellow) fat and a rich sweet smell. |
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Hare Darker, stronger flesh than rabbit. Younger hare are more tender (ears that tear easily are the tell-tale sign of youth). Fur-on hare keep better than skinned, paunched ones but drawing their blood - some of which can be reserved for thickening the accompanying sauce - is a smelly job, best left to your butcher. |
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Stockists
| Allens of Mayfair 117 Mount Street London W1K 3LA 020 7499 5831 www.allensofmayfair.com Read about Taste Club's exclusive September event at Allens of Mayfair |
The Blackface Meat Company Dumfries, Scotland (0)1387 730 326 www.blackface.co.uk |
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Broad Stripe Butchers |
The Ginger Pig |
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Everleigh Farm Shop |
C.Lidgate |
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M.Moen & Sons |
H.G.Walter |