Getting to Grips with Game
Rich in flavour, low in fat, free from hormones and high in essential vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids, game is one of the healthiest meats around. So is it time to get wild in the kitchen and get to grips with how to cook game?
Ingredients
- Your choice of Pheasant, Grouse, Partridge or Venison. Available from our Borough Market, Chelsea and Chiswick stores during Game Season
- The Meat
The one thing that sets game apart from its farm-reared friends is that it’s much leaner, so keeping it moist, and cooking it slow, will avoid the meat from drying out. Game is not only a sustainable source of meat, it’s also very versatile. Give roasting, conif or braising your game a try – each method brings out a different side of this flavoursome meat. Pairing your chosen meat with seasonal vegetables and fruity hedgerow sauces maximises the flavours, and will add a little of the countryside to your dish.
- Roasting
As with other meats, removing your game from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking will allow it to reach room temperature. Pan searing before placing in the oven will also reduce the overall cooking time, and by adding in plenty of healthy fats or juices to the roasting tin will keep it from drying out.
- Confit
Using just the legs of game birds, such as duck, pheasant or goose, submerge in healthy fat and give them a slow, gentle cook until the meat is delicately falling off the bone. - Braising
The epitome of the slow cook, braising game is all about slow cooking in a flavoursome stock, locking in those intense flavours, and alleviating any worries about the meat drying out. Choose your aromatics stock/wine or sauce carefully so as not detract from the taste of the meat and overpower this delicate, heartwarming culinary method.