Fair game
Most pub cooks are game for just about anything, a proposition that was put to the test when Punch Taverns organised a special skills day devoted to the art of cooking game.
It was with a certain amount of trepidation that 10 chefs from pubs across the Punch Estate gathered at the Vincent Square Centre at Westminster Kingsway College.
A little hesitancy was understandable, believes Steve Schaffer, Punch's catering development manager and a Westminster Kingsway old boy himself. Consumers are sometimes a little nervous about ordering game, and it's not something chefs today are necessarily trained to cook.
Steve is keen to encourage Punch Taverns lessees to make better use of products such as venison, pheasant and partridge on their menus. The skills session was organised in partnership with the Game-to-Eat campaign, which aims to raise awareness of these traditional products.
Westminster's chef lecturer in culinary arts, José Souto, gave the chefs an overview on sourcing quality game. One of the issues he addressed was consumer caution, which mainly revolves around the strong flavours traditionally associated with game.
Today, both game birds and deer will typically be younger and in better condition than in days gone by, and there is no need for the 'gamey' flavour produced by long hanging.
He also made the point that managing the countryside for game breeding maintains habitats for a wide range of species. Game is easy to cook and perfect for any occasion. It is lower in fat and cholesterol than many red meats and is also a good source of protein and vitamins.
At the skills session, chefs were divided into teams to try their hand at cooking a selection of game dishes, including roulade of pheasant stuffed with spinach, pan-fried breast of partridge teriyaki-style, and flame-grilled venison leg steaks with rosemary and garlic.
Steve says: "The dishes we presented were not overly complicated or time-consuming to create, but will certainly add prestige to a pub menu, as well as strong profit potential for the retailer."
Some of the skills required were definitely unfamiliar to the chefs, such as plucking pheasants and judiciously removing the lead shot. However, a specialist game butcher should be able to provide pre-plucked birds and pre-cut venison.
Attendee Darren Parry, a commis chef at the We Three Loggerheads pub in Flintshire, says: "It was a good experience and I'm really pleased I came. I have never cooked with game before, so learning about the butchery techniques was especially useful.
"When I get back to the pub I will start asking customers whether or not they want to see game on our menu and if they do I can start looking at introducing some specials."
Isabelle Jones, sous chef at the Lord Stanley in Camden Square, London, says: "The best thing was learning about the versatility of game. We were mixing meat with all sorts of different spices, such as cumin and Cajun - not the sort of things you would usually expect to see with game."
Alexia Robinson of Game-to-Eat adds: "We received some excellent feedback from delegates on the day and hopefully chefs can return to their businesses inspired by what they have seen, heard and tasted."
