Game on in Parliament

To mark Great British Game Week (19 – 25 November), chefs in the House of Lords will be serving British game dishes in all of their restaurants and bars, following a request from Countryside Alliance Deputy Chairman.

People who work in the Lords and visitors to Parliament that week will be able to try game dishes incorporating venison, wild boar, wood pigeon, pheasant, and duck. Recipe leaflets from the British Game Alliance will also be available in every restaurant and bar serving game, to encourage people to try game dishes at home.

This is the first time that Great British Game Week has been celebrated in Parliament, and the first time that a special game menu has been prepared in either the House of Commons or the Lords.

The decision to participate this year followed a parliamentary question from Countryside Alliance Deputy Chairman, Lord Mancroft, who asked whether the amount of game meat on offer would be increased during Great British Game Week. The Chairman of the Lords Services Committee, Lord Laming, committed to consider participating in the initiative this year, and the decision to do so has been praised by the Countryside Alliance.

Lord Mancroft commented: "I am delighted that the House of Lords will be taking part in this annual celebration of British game. I am extremely grateful to the Catering and Retail Services team for making this possible and to the Executive Chef for putting together a wonderful menu which I am sure will help to win over new admirers of game meat."

Countryside Alliance, Chief Executive, Tim Bonner commented: "We warmly welcome this decision, which will encourage more people try game for the first time. The House of Lords is an excellent place to showcase the best of British game and we hope it will become a regular feature on menus in the Lords from now on."