Game with a Difference

Sunday roasts are as British as fast food is American. This may not be true for all households but when it came to Sundays at my home and no roast was produced, there were certainly some groans. It seems to me that roasting game birds is a similar British trait. For, when I was young, it could have been easily mistaken that the only way to cook a game bird was to roast it. I was taught there was only one way to cook a game bird that was to pile a whole load of bacon on top and blast it to high hell. How wrong could I have been?

There is no doubt that it is one of the easiest methods of cooking, but where in the rule book does it say you have to roast them? Thinking about it, the roasting idea probably is also related to it being a winter warmer, especially with the right sort of seasonal vegetables. Unfortunately for those traditionalists, we are already in the mix of the grouse and partridge season, yet the temperature is still flying above 20^oC.

As a result last weekend I took it upon myself to start a new campaign. After getting hold of some grouse I went down the route of marinating and BBQing. Sadly the rest of the family and guests declined, low and behold it was fantastic and they were left whimpering with their bacon.

It seems strange, and something that all of us know yet do not pay any attention to, but the meat on the legs is far tougher than the breast. Therefore cooking them in the same way is counterintuitive, one or the other will either be undercooked or overcooked. Splitting them up on the other hand is the perfect way of really getting the most out of your bird. I am beginning to see a number of restaurants do the game birds legs for starters and the breasts for a main course. I understand it is a little bit extra effort but when it comes to something fancier like a grouse, surely it is worth it?

Breaking the game/roast mould is something that is occurring more and more regularly. There are a growing number of companies out there experimenting and succeeding. Bampton Game, in Somerset produces award-winning pheasant sausages and burgers along with other products. Then you have Good Game in Devon producing rabbit and venison salamis. All over the country new and exciting products are filling up farmers markets and online shops. The public are finally breaking the norm.

It is exciting times for those who enjoy game not only in the kitchens but in the shops as well. With these times Game to Eat is fully backing you to go out and experiment with game and their multiple matching flavours. It is one reason why this season we will be pushing game in Indian restaurants, for what better than a curry infused, marinated spatchcock pheasant, definitely not chicken!

Now, obviously, by no means are we advising against cooking up a delicious roast, instead we are telling you that there is so much more than a roast, and maybe this is the season to branch away from the traditional. For that reason we are filling the Game to Eat website full of different and interesting recipes, so get on there and find out for yourself.