This year’s #GreatBritishGameWeek, 6-12th November 2023, was a huge success. The week-long promotion is a celebration of enjoying wild game, promoted by Eat Wild, the development board for all wild meat, and aims to introduce new people to all that is great about local British game meat.
This year (2023), UK consumers were invited to join in the celebration via events, dinners, and special offers across the country. Eat Wild took to Newcastle, Yorkshire, Middlesex, Aberdeenshire and beyond to host dinners, hand out wild meat samples, provide educational talks, and demonstrate how game can be eaten in many new and exciting ways.
The week kicked off to a positive start with the Eat Wild food truck taking to Newcastle University campus on Monday 6th November and handing out over 1,250 portions of wild food to residents and students including 600 pheasant sausages, 250 pheasant sliders, and 400 pulled pheasant & venison loaded fries.
Tuesday 7th November involved an educational day at Houghton Hall, where people were shown how to butcher Chinese water deer and game birds. Louisa Clutterbuck, CEO of Eat Wild, spoke to 25 chefs about the importance of putting game on the menu, and cooking it well for consumers.
The Earl of Swinton, Mark Cunliffe-Lister, hosted a Gala Game Dinner at Swinton Estate in Yorkshire on Wednesday 8th November, at which Eat Wild gave a talk to hotel guests, many of whom had never eaten game before. Attendees were engaged, asking various questions about the benefits of shooting, and other hotel guests even asked to join in the evening.
The ‘Glorious Game’ day at Holland & Holland, Middlesex, with renowned chefs Joshua Hunter, Mark Kempson (Kitchen W8) and Lisa Goodwin-Allen (Northcote), saw a further 60 people celebrating game. Eat Wild provided elevenses, and a talk about their goals for the future.
Meanwhile, in Aberdeenshire, Finzean Farm Shop, a locally renowned shop which harvests, butchers, and sells wild meat directly from the estate, hosted a celebratory dinner introducing even more new people to the merits of local, wild meat with the help of passionate Head Chef, Sanjay Bhattacharya.
Towards the end of the week, a day was spent showcasing suppliers of assured wild meat to food industry stakeholders. Exciting conversations were had with potential suppliers including Baxter Story, Cambridge Football club, and Network Rail.
Louisa Clutterbuck, CEO of Eat Wild said “The response to Great British Game Week this year has been incredible. Nationwide, people have really engaged with the celebration and we’re incredibly proud of what we have achieved in reaching a wider audience for wild meat. A huge thanks to all the fantastic establishments and people that got involved, including my local pub who served me a deliciously rewarding venison lasagne at the end of a busy week.”
Reece Garner at The George Inn, Vernham Dean, Hampshire said “As a small independent pub we were delighted to join in with Game Week for the third year in a row. This year we saw an even greater uptake from the British public and had people coming out of Andover to try our wild meat offerings. This year our roast partridge on Sunday was a particular hit with over 26 covers. We will definitely continue to serve game throughout the season and it is always a joy to work with the Eat Wild team."
Sanjay Bhattacharya, Head Chef at Finzean Farmshop said “Finzean was delighted to host a dinner celebrating Great British Game Week for the second year running. We welcomed over 40 guests to a sociable evening hosted by myself and the Finzean team, who had prepared a menu highlighting a variety of techniques that are perfectly suited to game, such as Confit Pheasant Leg Croquettes, Sous Vide Venison Loin, and Poached Pheasant Breasts. All the game - pheasant and venison - was sourced from the estate, prepared entirely in house by myself, and travelled no more than 3 miles to get to the tables of our diners, who all enjoyed hearing about the people and processes involved. Great British Game Week has brought a fantastic energy to our work with game on the estate, and the whole team has been delighted to see the positive reception it has received from both locals and newcomers to the shop.”
