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In two weeks, between 15th-18thAugust, Countryfile Live will make its Northern debut at Castle Howard: running just a few days after the Glorious Twelfth, the beginning of the shooting season for red grouse, it will represent the perfect occasion for you to nominate your own game heroes for the Eat Game Awards 2019.
72% of British consumers don’t eat game. Now in their second year, the Eat Game Awards hope to change that. They want your help to spread the word about this tasty, steeped-in-provenance, countryside fayre by championing its heroes across Great Britain: chefs & cooks, farmers’ market stalls, producers, restaurants, pubs, butchers, estate managers and retailers.
Taste of Game, co-founder of the Eat Game Awards with James Purdey & Sons, will host live demonstrations at the Countryfile Kitchen Theatre with country cook and writer Esther Veerman. A true “country girl” who lists dogs and shooting as her first passions, she will be showcasing how tasty and versatile wild game can be – and you will go home ready to experiment and prepare mouth-watering dishes with this amazing British produce.
According to Adam Henson, farmer and rural TV presenter, people are “a little afraid of game,” because they’re not sure how to get hold of, handle or cook it. “The Eat Game Awards,” he says, “are aiming to change all of that.”
Wild game, such as grouse, pheasant, partridge, and snipe, offers many more perks: it’s wild, versatile, generates barely any food miles and is a major contributor to a healthy countryside ecosystem. “Eating game is one of life’s no-brainers, given that it is so abundant in this country,” confirms Chef Proprietor of Michelin starred Elystan Street and TV culinary expert Phil Howard. “It’s local, lived happily and it’s lean, nutritious and cheap.”
The Awards also represents the occasion for local businesses to be championed for their hard work, explains co-founder of the Awards and Chairman of Purdey James Horne.“Local and national recognition through awards can have a significant effect on sales and credibility. It can give a business confidence to progress.”
Such was the case for The Clucking Pig, based in North Yorkshire, 2018 Eat Game Award winner for “Best Game Farmers Market Stall including Street Food”. “I think the judges recognised that we were doing our best to use game on a very personable level,” says co-owner David Laing. “Our business has grown since the awards – we have even sent some Game and Venison Scotch Eggs to the Sandringham Estate for HRH Prince Andrew.”
You can nominate your own game heroes and celebrate their hard work across twelve categories, including your best wild game pubs, restaurants, and market stalls. Visit the Eat Game Awards website here to submit your entries.
Nominations are open now until November 1st.