Game is making a big comeback in the UK, according to founders of Bristol-based game specialist, Wild & Game; find out why, get in on the Black Friday offer, & discover an incredible grouse breast recipe, here!

credit: Archant

Wild and Game has grown dramatically since it launched in 2017, with many customers starting off by buying a mixed box of game in order to sample game for the first time, and then coming back to buy more. As well as ready to cook meat, the company sells pies, pasties, ready meals and more – all with game as a key ingredient.

“We felt that if we included game in dishes people in the UK already know and love, we would inspire more people to try it – and that’s worked,” says co-founder Steven Frampton.

Now Steven is urging more people to try eating game this week as part of British Game Week. To help things along, the company is currently offering a special value Black Friday box of game - a mixed meat box containing five different packs of game plus a pack of the company’s popular pheasant and venison sausages and one of its easy carve stuffed pheasants. The box has a 27% discount, bringing the price to just £35, and it’s available all week, up to and including Black Friday.

Steven says people in the UK are rediscovering the joy of cooking with these lean, healthy meats.

“A lot of knowledge about how to cook with game had been lost, and when we founded the company, we made it our aim to help more people discover the pleasures of cooking with meats such as pheasant, grouse and partridge,” he says.

With that in mind, the company provides recipes to inspire people to cook with game – such as this one, for pan-fried grouse with cranberry and mushrooms. More recipes are available on request.

credit: Archant

Pan-fried grouse with cranberry and mushrooms - feeds 2

With a touch of cranberry and the richness of sherry, this recipe is perfect for colder days.

INGREDIENTS

* 4 Wild and Game grouse breasts

* A small knob of butter (about 1 tsp)

* A glug of olive oil

* 1 tbsp cranberry sauce

* 6 rashers pancetta

* 300g chestnut mushrooms, stalks removed

* 2 echalion shallots, finely sliced

* 3 tbsp creme fraiche

* 2 tsp thyme leaves

* 1 tbsp dry sherry

* Salt and pepper to taste.

* To serve: fresh bread – ideally sourdough.

METHOD

* Wrap each grouse breast in 1 rasher of pancetta. Chop the remaining two rashers of pancetta and set aside.

* Heat the oil and butter in a pan and fry the grouse breasts for 1.5 - 2min each side. Remove and set aside.

* Add the shallot and the remaining pancetta to the pan and cook until the shallot is soft.

* Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are soft and glossy.

* Add the sherry and cook for a couple of minutes until reduced.

* Stir in the cranberry sauce.

* Add the crème fraiche and salt and pepper. Stir and heat through.

* Serve the grouse breasts on top of the mushroom mix with buttered sourdough toast or bread of your choice.