Game Cookery

Only four ingredients are needed for José Souto’s autumnal roast fallow rump dish — best served with a generous helping of seasonal produce

The new stalking season gives us some top-quality venison. Fallow are high on my agenda as the bucks have a layer of fat prior to the rut, which can give a crispy outer crust to the meat if trimmed well. Young, immature animals also have this fat and, due to them not rutting, make even better eating. This fat can be mixed into minced venison to create a no-pork burger or sausage mix, and I have also used the fat-covered loins of these deer to dry cure and cold smoke, making a sort of venison bacon.

I love stalking these new-season bucks. The animals are strong, fit and ready for the winter. Additionally, the deeper we go into this colourful season the more it gives up in the way of fantastic seasonal produce: gamebirds, chestnuts, sloes, blackberries and wild mushrooms. Food is never better than when it’s in season and naturally grown. A lecturer of mine once poured scorn on farmed wild mushrooms. “They are not wild, they are not even angry,” he said.

Like so many chefs, I relish wild harvesting at this time of year. Our menus change to reflect what’s available and what bounty the countryside provides. We offer game at the college every week throughout the season, starting with grouse as soon as we get back in September.

It is important for our students to understand not only seasonality and quality but also how lucky we are to have these

“I love stalking these new-season bucks — they are strong, fit and ready for the winter”

fantastic ingredients readily available to us. It is also important to understand the provenance of the food we use, with game that is traceable, healthy, ethical and as natural as can be.