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Game season is upon us and for many, it’s the best time of year. The wild, rustic flavours of wild boar, venison, pheasant and hare bring us back to a time when our relationship with nature was more immediate and visceral.
Game is meat as it’s meant to be consumed and there’s an authenticity in the flavours, an earthiness that can’t be matched in any domesticated breed. Autumn and the bounty of the harvest, bring us back to a more wholesome way of enjoying food and game is the epitome of seasonality.
Game’s popularity has been on the rise for some time as people turn away from traditional farming methods and towards seasonality and foraged ingredients. Game is a healthier, leaner alternative, but also, if managed responsibly, more sustainable.
However, much of our game-cooking heritage has been lost to us and it is mostly up to chefs to pass on their unrivalled knowledge of the preparation and cooking of game in the traditional and the avant-garde senses.
Glorious Game, by Ben Tish is published by Face Publications and as its title suggests it is an ode to the wonderful possibilities that game season brings to the plate. With 101 recipes by some of Britain and Ireland’s best-loved chefs and food writers, there is a wealth of knowledge for people of all cooking abilities.
Divided into recipes for chefs and for home cooks, Glorious Game is one of those food bibles that will become a dog-eared reference, dusted off year after year when game season comes around.
The book includes a unique collection of recipes using the whole range of game: everything from a simple but brilliant game sandwich to a classic venison Wellington. There are also more ambitious recipes requiring a fair bit of know-how, specialist kitchen equipment, a lot of time and advance planning.
All proceeds from the book will directly benefit The Moorland Communities Trust and The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Both of these organisations exist to protect and promote the rural way of life that enables game to thrive.
Below is a selection of the dishes you’ll find in Glorious Game.
André Garrett: Roasted wood pigeon, peas, wild garlic, black pudding purée and liver toast | photograph© chef magazine
Calum Franklin: Rabbit girolle and tarragon pie with garden peas | photograph© john-carey
Dan Cox: Roe deer, cylindra, beetroot and grilled cream | photograph© Dan Cox
Giorgio Locatelli: Pappardelle with hare, red wine and cacao | photograph© Lisa Linder
Sat Bains: Hare, stilton and pear | photograph© John Scott Blackwell
Steve Groves: Wood pigeon, beetroot, red chicory, blackberries and buckwheat | photograph©-miles-willis
Tom Kerridge: Venison chilli | photograph© Cristian Barnett
Yoshinori Ishii: Smoked woodcock, ginkgo nuts, wild berries and fig with liver sauce and wasabi egg oroshi sauce | photograph© Jean Cazals
