Explore Sally’s Top Game Meat Picks of the Season
Winter Game Meat Picks of the Season
As we approach the frosty winter months, here at The Pem, we’re making the most of the incredible seasonal ingredients on offer – specifically game meats and the herbs and berries that pair so beautifully with them, for our brand new fine dining menu. We pride ourselves on our creativity and flair, both of which have been elevated with the recent kitchen refurbishment, and this certainly shines through in The Pem’s new seasonal menus!
What is Game Meat?
Game meat can be defined by ‘the flesh of any wild animal or bird’ and is usually split into three categories:
- Small birds (thrush, quail)
- Game proper (goose, duck, woodcock, grouse, partridge, pheasant) and ground game (squirrel, hare, rabbit)
- Big game (venison, roebuck, deer, elk, moose, caribou, bear, wild boar)
The most popular and arguably the easiest to 1) find and 2) cook, is venison. Slow cooked venison casserole is always a winner, due to it being comparatively cheap and simple to leave bubbling away on a winter’s day with a delicious result every time. Another common dish is venison with juniper berries, which are best from Autumn through into Winter – a classic combination and again, simple to cook.
Chef Sally Abé’s Top Game Picks of the Season
For some expert advice, we caught up with the Queen of Game, our Chef Sally Abé on what her top game picks for the season are:
Pigeon
“Pigeon is really underrated. It’s a versatile meat so you can bung it in a stew, cook it into a pie, or braise it with cider apple sauce. One of my favourite new additions at the Pem is our tarte fine of wood pigeon, which we carve tableside. It’s served with quince, mustard and smoked bone marrow.”
Wild Boar
“Obviously this is harder to find, but if you’re able to get your hands on wild boar it’s always a good plan to pair it up with red fruits and berries – things like blackberries, blackcurrants and juniper all taste lovely with most game meat.”
Quail
“For the new season, we’ve brought in a stuffed and roast quail at The Pem, which we’ve chosen to smother in a spiced sherry jus with adds a beautiful depth to the dish and complements the quail perfectly. It’s the perfect winter warmer and looks stunning on the plate.”
Mallard
“Star anise and liquorice flavours go brilliantly with mallard, and other game meats too. Mallard also goes well with red berries, but you can also pile on the herbs when cooking this meat to get a big hit of flavour.”
Partridge
“Associated with Christmas, you might be tempted to cook partridge with pear but, if you want something similar, one thing I like to cook with it is quince, which you can braise down to a sticky, stew-like texture and that goes really well with it.”
The Pem will be offering a showstopping tarte fine of wood pigeon, with quince, mustard and smoked bone marrow (which will serve two hungry guests), a roast Cotswold venison with salsify, shoulder kromeski and whisky sauce, a stuffed crown of quail with crisp parsnip, molasses and spiced sherry jus on our new à la carte menu, and a glorious venison tartare with preserved elderberries, truffle egg yolk and beech mushrooms also features on the new lunch menu.