Flavour

Wild British game meat have a common "gamey" flavour note which is achieved predominantly though the diet – a mixed, free range diet of natural grasses, insects, berries and grains will result in a much more developed flavour than a diet of just grass or grain. Therefore many of the wild foods are more strongly flavoured and "gamier". Wild birds and animals also naturally exercise lots, which results in lean muscle and a denser textured meat which is a common characteristic of game.

Before the game reaches the shop it will have gone through a couple of processes to help bring out the flavour.

The first is hanging which helps to tenderise the meat and allows the flavour to develop. The shorter the hanging time the milder the flavour. Unlike our ancestors we don't like strongly flavored meat so it is usually hung for days rather than weeks, ranging from about 2 days for rabbit up to 12 days for venison. The exceptions are pigeon and wild duck which do not require hanging.

Hand in hand with the hanging of the meat is also the aging process. All meat benefits from aging, even just a little. This process has two important effects it causes more collagen to dissolve during cooking; making the meat more tender to eat and reduces the pressure that the connective tissue exerts during heating which means the meat loses less moisture during cooking.