Game on

Game season is here – and Nick Nairn is thrilled. The Michelin-star chef shows us some new ways with an old favourite – grouse

Game season is here – and I’m thrilled. I’ve been cooking grouse a lot lately, and really enjoying it. The trick is to make sure you’re eating this year’s meat, which is a little lighter in flavour and full of succulence. You’ll probably have to order grouse from the butcher. Go for this year’s birds, rather than last year’s which will have a much stronger gamier taste.

Don’t be afraid of cooking grouse though – it’s a great little bird. If you think of it a little like a small chicken, then removing the breasts from the carcass will be less daunting.

I take the skin off too, and wrap the skinned breasts in lovely pancetta. The butcher will separate the bird for you if you prefer, but do it yourself and you can keep the rest for stock to make my grouse soup.

One of today’s recipes is for grouse soup – this is a less cheffy version of a consommé I’ve cooked recently. It’s quicker and simpler to make and is still packed full of flavour.

The second recipe for roast grouse wrapped in pancetta is a classic dish and always tasty. Give it a go. SERVES 2 FOR THE STOCK

Grouse carcase (meat mostly removed)

1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 stick celery, roughly chopped 1 onion, peeled and quartered 2 stalks of thyme 1.25 litres water FOR THE SOUP

1 grouse breast, cooked and sliced