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An Introduction to... Cooking with Game
14 January 2025 · Discover ckbk
Roasted Scottish grouse on bruschetta with fresh porcini mushrooms & watercress by Theo Randall, in Glorious Game
This is a guest post in association with The Wild Meat Company. If you are in the UK you can save 10% on all orders of game from The Wild Meat Company using discount code CKBKWILDMEAT10 at checkout.
By Robert Gooch
Choosing wild game has so many advantages and benefits for the planet, and for you. Alongside being a sustainable choice and reducing your carbon footprint, you can enjoy tasty and versatile meals at an affordable price.
It’s easy to make swaps from your usual farmed meats to create delicious mid-week meals; choose wild venison steak over beef, pheasant or partridge instead of chicken in a curry, a rabbit ragu instead of beef mince or even a wild duck for your Sunday roast.
Wild game enjoy their lives in natural surroundings, which in turn provides us with meat which is healthy, low in fat and cholesterol and high in iron, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Pheasant and Partridge
For a beginner, a great place to start is with the mild, but moreish, flavours of pheasant and partridge. They are both versatile options to cook with from casseroles, curries or pot roasts for whole birds, or pan frying.
Top in the Class for its sustainability credentials, this lean, tender and flavoursome meat makes it a very popular choice. Different species vary in flavour and texture. Choose from burgers, steaks, mince, roast haunches, shanks, chops, tenderloin fillets and even butterflied haunches or whole muntjacs as an impressive centrepiece for a celebration.
Wild duck has much less fat but has a much stronger flavour than farmed duck and a richness that lends itself to a variety of dishes. Wild ducks come from various different species, each with its own unique size and characteristics. Mallard is the largest, followed by Wigeon and Pintail. Teal is the smallest but is often praised for its delicate texture and flavour.
Wood pigeon is the most plentiful edible wild bird and is readily available throughout the year. It has a beautiful rich and complex flavour which lends itself to a wide range of dishes. Whole birds can be roasted or casseroled, while the tender and succulent breast fillets are delicious pan-fried.
Grouse
Grouse is widely revered as the finest game bird of all, thanks to its inimitable rich flavour. Young birds are best savoured roasted while flavourful older (‘over-yeared’) birds are excellent pot-roasted or casseroled.
Wild rabbit is an abundant and highly sustainable meat. Often likened to chicken, wild rabbit meat has more flavour and a firmer texture. Young rabbits are superb roasted whole, while older, larger ones are best braised or slow cooked. Adding some fat – such as streaky bacon, yoghurt, cream or coconut milk during cooking helps to ensure tender and delicious results.
Hares have a rich and strong flavour but in the UK can only be sold between August and February. They can be sourced sustainably from East Anglia and other areas with high population densities, where they cause considerable crop damage if not controlled. The delicate loin fillets from the saddle can be flash-fried and eaten rare.
Squirrel
Rarely eaten in the UK up until now, a growing number of chefs and home cooks are now seeking out sustainable alternatives to farmed meats and regularly enjoy its sweet and nutty flavour. For conscientious eaters, meat from culled populations of this invasive species is a highly ethical choice. Its light-coloured meat tastes like a subtler version of rabbit but with a finer texture. It can be roasted, fried or barbecued but for tender meat that falls off the bone, cook them low and slow.
For hundreds more recipes and ideas for cooking with game, check out ckbk’s Game bookshelf. And remember that you can save 10% on orders with The Wild Meat Company using discount code CKBKWILDMEAT10 at checkout.
Terms and Conditions: Subject to availability, one use per customer, not valid in conjunction with other discount codes.
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