The Glorious Twelfth is a date celebrated by chefs and avid huntsmen throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The 12th of August marks the start of shooting season for grouse and is renowned for being one of the busiest days. With the start date for pheasant, duck, rabbit, hare, deer and wild boar being later in the shooting calendar.

Game has always been part of my repertoire and with my locavore mentality I’d like to think that I’m one of a rare coterie of chefs using wild game in the dishes I prepare.

Here at the Oxford Blue, we are passionate about using locally reared wild game and are working closely with the Royal Estate to ensure that we serve the best quality wild meat to our guests. With the addition of our new game shed at The Oxford blue it’s essential to the flavour and quality of the meat that it is hung for the correct time, which means ageing and monitoring the meat properly. For me, ageing the meat in-house means that we can influence the taste and texture of the meat to perfectly compliment the whole menu.

Knowing where the meat has come from is so important and understanding the lifestyle of the animal, and taking full advantage of the surrounding area offers a wealth of inspiration for the planning and preparation of my dishes.

In Windsor we are surrounded by woodlands filled with wild garlic, clumps of chickweed and mushrooms all of which are not only a tasty meal for pheasant, deer and rabbits but also suitable for and recommended (if you know what you’re doing) for human consumption. I like to incorporate the flora from the animal’s natural diet into the dish with the end result being a plate screaming with local flavour.

Having been shooting myself, I feel there comes a greater respect for the animal and a deeper understanding of where that ‘piece of meat’ has come from. By having this experience it has influenced the way i think about meat and plan my dishes. It’s also deeply important to me for my staff to understand the whole process of where the animal has been reared, what their diet was, their lifestyle; how they were killed; how to properly prepare and mature the meat, and also which flavours compliment and bring out the richness of the high quality, locally grown game. With this knowledge my team will treat the meat with care and attention and will ensure that they take pride when preparing dishes as it will become incredibly important to them that they will always produce the best quality dishes using game

I’m so inspired by what is available for us to use locally and nationwide and I can’t wait to start cooking and getting this game to my guests.

The Glorious Twelfth