Venison & deer stalking – your views please

I’ve only had venison once, about 35 years ago, but I often think about trying it again, usually when I see it in Morrisons but I’m guessing that’s not the best place to buy it…

I’ll have to take a look at the few remaining butchers around here and see if any of them sell it.

Assuming you’re referring to red deer? Is the taste and flavour consistent during the season? My experience from eating it was that (fallow) haunch or steak would be variable each time it was bought from a game dealer at a farmers market. In fact I stopped buying it for this reason. Have also tried muntjac which was dreadful and roe which was acceptable.

Personally I’d rather eat guinea fowl which seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth, goodness knows why. Also happy eating pheasant which used to be as cheap as chips.

We get through at least one bit of deer a month. I prefer the milder taste and softer texture of farmed venison but am happy eating either. We even had venison steak as the main course at our wedding. None of the butchers I use in Edinburgh offer it though.

I’d agree with msot of scandywag’s points (although I don’t know anything about the bullets). The stuff we get comes with a label which is standard to all the packets telling you how and how long to cook all the different cuts. That takes a lot of the fear out of it.

If you’re up north there’s presumably quite a bit of supply to the local shops and farmers’ markets already, and I doubt you have enough to set up an online business. How about getting in touch with some of the posh butchers in the central belt? They won’t have anything like as big a local supply and you could ship cuts down to them in polystyrene crates (which is how our venison arrives).

I always wanted to try Venison, but cannot afford it. I just find it too Deer!

Sorry, I’ll get my coat

Ate it regularly when I lived in Scotland and been out stalking a few times. Don’t eat it much anymore as butchers by me don’t sell it. Occasionally still buy it if Im working near a “posher” supermarket. No issue with it at all if you’re going to eat meat try them all!

Big venison fan here. Buy and eat it regularly. Would love to see more of it in the local butcher shops though.

If you’re up north there’s presumably quite a bit of supply to the local shops and farmers’ markets already, and I doubt you have enough to set up an online business.

Deer are not a Northern thing. Muntjac are a major pest down here, and there’s not exactly a shortage of roe, fallow, Chinese water deer etc. either. Poncey farm shops and farmers markets are probably more numerous too if we’re following the stereotypes!

If you start selling direct post a link. I’d be interested in freezer full.

I’ll give Vicars a go then!!
Thanks, need to clear some freezer space though and be allowed out of jail!!

Rarely had it. When you do see it down south it’s usually at a food fair or High st “game stall” so unknown provenance. I like the idea of the free-range/non-farmed stuff ethically though. Also seen it in Waitrose but can’t remember if it tells you where it’s from.

Most of our meals are veggie (don’t buy farmed meat) but if we could get game venison locally we’d be all over it, it’s bloody (arf) lovely.

Happy to eat it at home or at a restaurant (whether it’s a small stake, sausage or burgers). But to be honest i’m happy to try anything (peasant, rabbit, kangaroo burgers, goose intestine, beef tendon, tandoori snails…)

Interestingly, a lot of supermarket venison is imported from NZ and sells at about £16 a kilo. UK stalkers and managers/cullers have reported that since this spring it is getting increasingly difficult to find buyers for venison, as game dealers are seeing a huge increase due to the current Scottish cull requirements.

All too often we tend to think only of red deer, but the UK has 6 species, Native Red, Sika, which also hybridise with reds, Fallow, a nomadic herding deer introduced by the Normans, and the most commonly farmed species, Roe, the most common and widespread species, Muntjac, again introduced and often considered to be invasive, and Chinese water deer.

They all differ in habit and habitat, with Sika being a virtually nocturnal species, but causing considerable damage to woodland and forest habitats, and Roe in almost plague proportions cause huge damage to new plantings…. So in direct conflict with a lot of estates now working on afforestation.

The pandemic meant a vast number of recreational stalkers weren’t able to visit their stalking land, but the professional managers/cullers are under pressure to continue to reduce numbers. The fall in venison prices is a bitter pill for them.

In Scotland you have to have deer management or game hygiene certification in order to sell direct, so again, many recreational stalkers will sell to friends or give to family.

Wild Venison is a fantastic,lean, healthy and ethical meat. It should be much cheaper than it is, but unfortunately the “Walt Disney effect” means many folk fight shy of it. If the demand increased in the shops, the supply would improve, but because of provenance issues supermarkets are wary. How it can be more ethical to import meat from NZ remai s a mystery.

I shoot for the freezer, and doubt I go into double figures in a year. My son however has several thousand acres of new plantations to control, and gives the majority of the venison away. If anyone in West Yorks wants to try venison, give me a shout.

As for lead. A rifle bullet expands on entry and the soft lead core can create a paste which will contaminate the meat several inches around the exit hole. I’ll trim at !east
six inches arou d the exit for that reason, so there’s a bit of meat lost from the breast, but otherwise I’m happy with the performance of lead ammunition. Scotland is heading for a lead ban, and I’m certain the rest of the UK will follow. There are promising developments being made around copper bullets.

I shoot for the freezer, and doubt I go into double figures in a year. My son however has several thousand acres of new plantations to control, and gives the majority of the venison away. If anyone in West Yorks wants to try venison, give me a shout.

I read that and immediately conjured up an image of an old Chest Freezer full of holes.

Most of our meals are veggie (don’t buy farmed meat) but if we could get game venison locally we’d be all over it, it’s bloody (arf) lovely.

Son’s girlfriend has the same stance. Won’t eat farmed meats, but happily goes stalking with him, and is an expert Skinner/ butcher. Admirable.

Love venison, rarely eat it due to not being readily available locally (Teesside) and quite expensive when it is, if I could source it and it wasn’t prohibitively I’d happily eat more.

But to be honest i’m happy to try anything (peasant, rabbit, kangaroo burgers, goose intestine, beef tendon, tandoori snails

Peasent ….that’s a bit extreme is it not 🙂

venison is imported from NZ

That reminds me, I once read a mad book that I picked up while on a boat in the Fjordlands of New Zealand about the old school deer hunters over there harvesting hundreds of deer by helicopter. I suspect it was this book;

I actually spoke to a gamekeeper in East Anglian who once went up to Scotland to help out shooting from a helicopter due to some unique “management needs”. I don’t know how common that is but sounds mental.

Peasants taste of turnips.

Love a bit of venison, best I’ve ever had was Sika haunch.
I had some liver and kidney for dinner the other night, freebie from a local stalker who sells at farmers markets.
They normally leave the offal on the hill with the gralloch as there’s just no demand for it. Not enough weirdos like me around wanting to eat the most nutritious bits of an animal..

OP, I reckon it may be worth exploring the Keto / Carnivore diet community as a niche way of selling mail order. They are mad for grass fed, organ meat, bone broth organic sort of stuff. MAybe a non starter depending on the economics of it all though.

love it, very rarely eat it because I’d have to drive across town to get it. Occasionally pick up some steaks at Big Tesco on the rare occasions we go there.

I get a delivery once a month from a farm shop (I’m in Bristol) – if they stocked more game I’d definitely take more venison; in particular steaks and something suitable for stewing. Haven’t noticed it there before but will keep an eye out this autumn.

actually spoke to a gamekeeper in East Anglian who once went up to Scotland to help out shooting from a helicopter due to some unique “management needs”. I don’t know how common that is but sounds mental.

It was probably the massive cull on the Feshie estate – basically removing most of a herd from one valley system – result – regeneration of the woodlands

http://www.richardbaynes.com/?page_id=125

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I’ll be honest that I’m amazed at the generally positive views and hugely grateful.

I deliberately didn’t mention lead ammunition in my original post as it’s a fairly contentious issue at present and wanted to find out if people were aware of it without me raising it. Personally, I shoot copper bullets (lead free) and have done for several years.

And someone asked about whether flavour changes from season to season – not hugely in my experience, although rutting stags / bucks can be a bit strong. There are more geographical differences due to diet so a red deer off the hill will taste a bit different to a lowland red.

Interesting that the cooking can be seen as difficult. It’s really not 🙂 It’s much leaner than other meats, so keep it pink or low and slow. I personally avoid joints / haunches unless deboned, butterflied and marinated then done on the BBQ.

Shoulder / diced / stewing – low and slow – try this and you won’t go wrong: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-braised-venison-chilli-chocolate

Steak – cook it like beef but keep it pink as it will dry out. Rest it well

Loin – again, keep it pink. Sear it on the outside in a hot pan then finish in the oven for 10-20 mins depending on size. Again, rest well.

Burgers – use 2/3 venison mince to 1/3 chorizo finely diced (spicy chorizo if you want a bit of warmth). Soften some onion in butter, cool, then add to the mix. The fat from the chorizo keeps it moist and you can still leave them a touch pink if you prefer (unlike pork fat etc which has to be cooked through).

Venison pie is one of my favourite pies.

Living and working in the Cotswolds id happily sell it in my village shop and I’m sure that there is a market for it. Unfortunately for me there is such a market that these guys…

https://www.robinsonwildfoods.com

Have a shop about 2miles away.

Thanks for the ballistics info @blokeuptheroad I was thinking of copper jacketed steel as used by a lot of armed forces.

None of the butchers I use in Edinburgh offer it though.

George Bowers in Stockbridge stock it; Saunderson’s at Tollcross will get it in for you or pop out to CastleGame (Between Linlithgow and Winchburgh) and you will have quite a selection.

My dad was one of those murderous gamekeeper types. Love some venison, he retired a few years ago but does a little bit of stalking so we get a haunch for the freezer. He makes his own sausages and burgers, we’ve had some delicious BBQs this year. When I roast the haunch I rub some butter onto it and put red wine, orange juice and blackcurrant jam in the roasting tin. Stops the meat drying out and makes a delicious gravy. As you’ve said the key is to not over cook it. We had venison and organic ham last Christmas and the venison was by far the favourite.

Sourced and butchered my own meat for years when I ate it (up till last year)
I shot between 35 and 50 deer a year down at Galashiels.
Between that and rabbits hare pigeon and pheasants I never bought any meat for years.
All with lead shot, I have no issue with it.

Now that I am not eating meat I have no reason to shoot them.

What I did notice though was that venison was more palatable to folk when processed into something that wasn’t a steak lol.
Venison burgers always went down a treat.

Venison is my preferred meat, the lad next door goes shooting the traditional Scottish way (4 wheel drive with a light on the top at night) and he gives us a big chunk once in a while. I freeze it whole then cut it up with a clean saw into whatever I want.
I have had reindeer from the cairngorm herd at a hogmanay party there and that was lovely.

Venison is my preferred meat, the lad next door goes shooting the traditional Scottish way (4 wheel drive with a light on the top at night)

Err, shooting deer at night is illegal!

That’s what I said- the traditional Scottish way 🙂

My cousin is a marksman and used to spend a fair bit of time and money stalking and then shooting deer.
The price it attracts down south, is alot considering they ate pretty much free range and have no natural predator so need culling to control the numbers.
I would buy more if it were slightly cheaper and different cuts were offered.
Make great burgers though as seem lower in fat to mrm beef

That’s what I said- the traditional Scottish way 🙂

Fair enough! 😆

Is there a better way of eating meat. Chemical free. Animal is wild and free to roam. Love a bit of Venison.

Err, shooting deer at night is illegal!

No it’s not. It’s controlled but not illegal.

No it’s not. It’s controlled but not illegal

Ok. I could have written “shooting deer at night is prohibited under normal circumstances without a licence from Natural England, SNH or whatever” yada yada, but thought for the purposes of brevity and this thread that what I wrote was adequate. You are more correct, well done.

Unfortunately for me there is such a market that these guys…

https://www.robinsonwildfoods.com

Have a shop about 2miles away.

if there is a less readable website menu out there I have yet to see it! My god! 😆

Love venison. Had it on Saturday in a pub actually. Often choose it if I am somewhere nice.

Not something I pick up and cook myself much though but then I don’t do a whole heap of meat cooking at home.

if there is a less readable website menu out there I have yet to see it! My god!

He used to live about 40m from my house when he had the Pot Kiln in Frilsham, such a pretentious place to eat it was ridiculous.

His ex now owns it and it’s great.