Great British Game Week

This week is Great British Game Week when all those who shoot take the chance to celebrate game and introduce it to others. Over the past year there has been a huge amount of effort to increase game consumption. For me, there are two notable changes.

 

First, the British Game Alliance have made great progress, and have just secured two amazing deals with Compass Food Group and Delware North. Compass are the largest food group in the world supplying 15,000 locations across UK and Ireland, and will now be serving game products. Delaware North serve half a billion guests at venues across the globe each year. These two deals will mean that game becomes accessible to many more people, in significant volume, and you will also see pheasant sausage rolls at stadiums such as Twickenham, Wimbledon, Wembley & Emirates Stadium in the very near future.

 

 

Also, the sheer increase in local initiatives on the part of shoots looking to find new and innovative ways to distribute their game has made an impact. It might just be me, but I feel I am seeing game on more pub and restaurant menus than ever before.

 

We kicked off the week in a big way by launching The Country Food Trust in Kent, my home county. Over 30 people gathered in a country pub to hear about how they can help feed people in need in the county, using game. We were lucky to have the head of Fareshare Kent – Paul Underdown - with us on the night. Fareshare distribute some of our game meat to charities they are affiliated with, and Paul explained how there were over 8 million people in the UK who struggle to afford to eat.

 

 

We also had two local game dealers present -Turner’s Game and Hedgerow Game - who will all be encouraging their shoots to support the charity so we can purchase the shoot’s game from these dealers and distribute it to those who really need it. This model is very simple to set up and there are other counties following the same strategy, run by other ambassadors. If you’d like to find out more, please reply to this email and I can put you in touch with your local ambassador or explain how you can become one.

 

Aside from those in need, there are millions of others who are yet to enjoy the delights of game and do not yet know that they’ll love it. It is down to us, as people with an existing love of game, to help new people to discover it. Might you be able to invite a few friends – ones who may not have eaten game before - and cook up a meal to show them how delicious it can be?

 

 

There are lots of people on social media proudly showing off their game dishes and using various hashtags - #gametoeat and #eatgame, to name just two - and there are loads of recipes on GunsOnPegs too. We even put together a list of our favourites from this season recently: everything from partridge sausage rolls to spicy noodles and pot-roast grouse. Let us know what you're cooking, and share the pics of your friends enjoying some delicious game – tag us in the picture using #gameonplates. 

 

Let’s keep spreading the word about the delicious wild food that we all love, and continue building upon this momentum.