Organised by food company Eat Wild, the national event celebrates “everything game has to offer” and hopes to “challenge the nation to think differently about (the meat)”.

To promote the event, UK chefs Tom Kitchin, Brian Turner, Andrew Pern and Gareth Ward have shared their very own recipes (as below), including a grouse liver parfait ‘ideal’ for dinner parties and winter warming pot au feu.

Campaign chef Ambassador Nigel Haworth commented: “Game is fantastic to cook with, which is why it’s so popular with chefs like myself.

“Tom, Brian, Andrew and Gareth have contributed some really exciting recipes in celebration of the flavour and versatility of game, which I hope will inspire everyone to give it a try.”

Turner added: “Game is both nutritious and very, very tasty. Together, the British Game Alliance and Eat Wild ensure that you can find the most delicious, health-conscious meat on the market”.

Tom Kitchin’s Grouse Liver Parfait

Make at least one day before you plan to serve to allow for overnight chilling. The parfait will keep for two weeks in the fridge, in a sealed container.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 100g shallots, finely chopped
• 100ml port
• 50ml Madeira
• 60g butter
• 60g duck fat
• 125g grouse livers, trimmed
• 100g chicken livers, trimmed
• 6 free-range egg yolks
• 225ml double cream
• 50ml brandy
• 60g butter,
• Melted blueberries, to garnish
• Thyme leaves, to garnish
• Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 90˚C fan.
• Heat a well-seasoned sauté or frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a splash of oil.
• When hot, add the shallots and sauté for 2–3 minutes until softened, but not coloured.
• Add the port and Madeira, stirring to deglaze the pan, and boil until a syrupy consistency forms. Transfer the shallot reduction to a food processor and set aside.
• Melt the butter and duck fat together in the same pan. Add to the shallot reduction in the food processor with the grouse livers, chicken livers, egg yolks and cream. Season with salt and pepper then add the brandy - process until blended.
• Pass the mixture through a fine sieve to ensure the parfait has a smooth consistency. Divide between two/three small preserving jars and seal. Place jars in a roasting tray and pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the sides, then cook in the oven for an hour.
• Remove parfaits from the water and leave to cool completely, then place in the fridge overnight.
• The following day, scrape off any brown skin that might have formed. Pour over the clarified butter, add a few blueberries and thyme leaves and leave to cool.
• Re-seal and chill until required.

Andrew Pern - partridge risotto with mushrooms, spinach, cheese and a thyme wafer

Ingredients

• 2 partridge breasts, skin off
• 1cm dice Rapeseed oil for frying
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
• 300g Arborio risotto rice
• 600ml good game stock
• Splash of Fino sherry
• 50g Penny Bun mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 100g Doddington’s cheese, grated
• 100g Matador spinach, roughly chopped
• 50ml whipping cream
• 50g unsalted butter seasoning wafers
• 100g Doddington’s cheese, grated
• A pinch of thyme, chopped
• 5ml white truffle oil, to serve

Method

• In a heavy-bottomed pan, shallow-fry the diced partridge in a little oil to lightly colour (2-3 minutes). Add the shallot and sweat without colouring.
• Add the rice and stir briefly, then add 500ml game stock and stir continually until most of the stock has evaporated and the rice is nearly cooked (approx. 10-12minutes).
• Add a splash of sherry, the mushrooms and half of the cheese - check consistency and seasoning.
• The rice should be ‘al dente’ so stir in the spinach, cream and butter. Check temperature and seasoning.
• Serve immediately.
• For the wafers, mix the remaining cheese with the thyme. Place four 8cm pastry rings onto a baking sheet covered with greaseproof paper.
• Place the mix into the centre of the rings and bake in a medium to hot oven for 3-4 minutes, or grill until golden brown.
• Remove and leave to cool and crisp.
• To serve: spoon the risotto into warm bowls, drizzle with a little white truffle oil and place a cheese and thyme wafer on top.  

Brian Turner - roasted partridge with grapes, chestnuts and silverskin onions

Ingredients

• 4 partridge
• 2tbsp rapeseed oil
• 2oz diced carrot
• 2oz diced onions
• 2oz diced celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2oz chicken liver
• 1 glass dry white wine
• ¼ pint chicken stock
• 4oz butter
• 12 silverskin onions
• 12 pre-cooked chestnuts
• 12 good seedless white grapes
• 1tbsp sugar
• 1oz butter
• 2tbsp chicken stock
• Splash Cognac
• 1tbsp chopped chives  

Method

• Trim the partridge, season well and tie legs together.
• Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole dish - add the partridge and colour both legs. Remove from the dish.
• Add the chopped vegetables, bay leaf, thyme and garlic to the dish. Cook for a little while then lay the partridge on top and roast for 8-10 minutes at 200°C (or until the juices run clear).
• Remove from oven and place to one side to keep warm.
• Add livers to the casserole and sauté; add the stock and wine and reduce.
• Pass through fine chinois into a clean casserole dish before adding in 4oz butter and seasoning.
• Place pan on heat and melt 2oz butter – add the onions and colour lightly. Sprinkle with sugar and caramelise, then add the chicken stock and cognac and cook gently.
• Once cooked, add the chestnuts and grapes and warm through, then pour the sauce into the pan, add chives
• Serve.  

Andrew Pern ‘Pot au Feu’

Ingredients

•  4 partridge breasts
• 2 mallard breasts
• 2, 6oz deer loins
• 4 confit mallard leg
• 1 smoked Morteau sausage
• 4 Savoy cabbage leaves, blanched for 30 seconds and refreshed
• 12 vacpac cooked chestnuts
• 200g white/haricot beans, cooked

Yorkshire Sauce

• 1 orange
• 200ml port wine
• 50g sugar
• 50g redcurrant jelly
• 200ml duck jus
• Seasoning
• Optional 8 slices of fresh truffle
• To serve Crusty Bread/ Green Salad  

Method

• Yorkshire Sauce: peel the orange and cut the peel into julienne strips, removing all the white pith.

• Place in a thick-bottomed saucepan with the port wine, sugar and redcurrant jelly. Juice the leftover orange and add to the pan. Reduce until it becomes syrupy, then add the duck jus, simmer and keep warm.
• Season, then seal each of the meats in a little oil until medium rare (around 3-4 minutes each), then set aside. Divide into four ovenproof dishes and reheat.
• Add the cabbage leaves, beans and chestnuts along with two truffle shavings per serving, if desired.
• Serve with warmed Yorkshire Sauce, crusty bread and a green salad.  

Gareth Ward’s Hoisin Duck

• 1 mallard

Hoisin sauce

• 4 cloves garlic
• 480g muscavado sugar
• 160g Chinese fermented black beans
• 120ml vegetable stock
• 120ml soy sauce
• 120ml rice wine vinegar
• 20g sesame oil
• 2 tsp five spice

Pickled cucumber

• 1 cucumber
• 200g spring onions
• 200g chives
• Vegetable / rapeseed oil
• Pickle  

Method

• Score the skin and cook the oven-ready mallard whole, on the crown. Cook at 150°C for 10-15 minutes, then check the temperature of the meat with a probe. Leave to rest while you work on the hoisin sauce

For the Hoisin sauce

• Mix all ingredients together in a blender until smooth and pass through a sieve to remove any lumps.
• Finely chop the chives and the spring onions. Place in a blender, with a bit of oil (just covering the veg) and blend until infused. Pass through a muslin cloth to remove the bits.

Picked cucumber

• Peel the cucumber and cut into 5 inch pieces. Put in a vac pac bag with the sugar and rice vinegar pickle.
• Thinly slice the cucumber and cover in onion oil

To serve: slice the crisp whole bird to order. Spoon over the hoisin breast sauce and place the cucumber on top of the duck.