A taste of game (From Smallholder)

A taste of game

8:30am Saturday 10th December 2011 in Poultry

A campaign to encourage people to eat game meat has received a boost from Michelle O’Neill, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland.

Minister O’Neill sampled a taste of seasonal game prepared by Peter McErlean, head chef and proprietor of The Cuan Restaurant, Strangford.

Taste of Game Season is run by the UK's largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), to encourage people to try game meat and to highlight the benefits of game as a local, wild and nutritious food.

Minister O’Neill said: "The Taste of Game initiative gives consumers the ideal opportunity to introduce local game produce to their diets when in season. Game meat is becoming increasingly popular and as a premium quality, highly nutritious food source game can become an integral part of our local diet. I am therefore pleased to support BASC’s Taste of Game campaign this year.”

BASC NI Director Tommy Mayne said: "We are delighted that Minister O’Neill has lent her support to the Taste of Game campaign and we feel it is particularly appropriate for the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development to support BASC’s campaign given the close links between farming and shooting.”

Northern Ireland-based gamekeeper Robert Crofts added: "As a supplier of game I am very enthusiastic about the BASC campaign and I would encourage people to try game meat as a seasonal addition to their everyday foods. Game meat comes from animals that have lived natural lives in wild habitat, they are the ultimate in free-range food."

BASC’s Taste of Game campaign aims to increase people’s awareness of game as a high quality, low fat, nutritious food source. A number of restaurants across the province will be running Taste of Game evenings and/or promotions throughout the shooting seasons.

For more information about events, local suppliers of game, how to prepare game for the table and new recipe ideas visit www.basctasteofgame.org.uk