Humphreys - Game Cookery: Over 120 Delicious Recipes for Game Meat and Fish

In memory of John, a true countryman and my inspiration

Cookery writers would appear to breed faster than the proverbial rabbit. It would seem that there are more people giving cookery hints than actually sitting down at a table to eat. We live in a world full of experts, but sadly many are rather more expert at projecting themselves than they are in their chosen field.

It gives me special pleasure, therefore, to have the opportunity of shedding a little light on a very charming (not to mention attractive) someone who really does have something to offer.

Under the guise of Guidwife, Angela has been providing monthly recipes for Sporting Guns Sportsmans Kitchen for nearly four years. In view of her continuing originality it is hardly surprising that she has built a keen following in shooting circles.

What is surprising is that Angela has had no formal training. Her inspiration has been an interest in cookery, combined with a good supply of game from the three hungry males who share her house. Their excellent condition offers the perfect advertisement for Angelas kitchen skills the young boys are growing upward at a rate of knots, while hubbie John (a well-known sporting writer) fights a running battle against growth in a different direction.

Well blame the latter dilemma on the ballast, for Angela has a keen and genuine interest in health and fitness, a fact reflected by her recipes. She quite rightly points out that game, fowl and fish offer some of the healthiest meats you could wish for.

You will find her dishes imaginative, inexpensive and with enough variety to suit all occasions. Moreover, they have all been given the ultimate seal of approval by the traditional method her own dining table.

Rather than being another book from a well-known cook or actress simply lending her name to yet another assortment of casseroles and coq variations, this is the real thing. And for that theres no substitute.

MIKE BARNES

FORMER EDITOR, Sporting Gun

Note: Sadly John died in 2012. The young boys are now grown men who follow their fathers love of fieldsports and the countryside, and have become competent cooks.

The aims of this book are twofold. Firstly, for those who shoot and fish and regularly bring home an assortment of game and fish for the table or freezer. It can be a daunting prospect to deal with six brace of pheasant, a dozen pigeon or a bagful of trout, but with high meat and fish prices, food that is full of flavour and additive free is a welcome bonus and should not be wasted.

Secondly, it is for those who have never cooked game before because they considered it too expensive, too highly flavoured or too difficult to prepare. Game need not be any of these; it is becoming more widely available to non-shooting families, either oven-ready from the supermarket or in feather or fur from the butcher or game dealer. Leading supermarket chains are now selling a wide variety of oven-ready game in season. Each pack is clearly labelled with the age, species and a suggested cooking method; leaflets with recipes are often available. Because this game is sold oven-ready and only the best quality is offered, this does mean that the price is of necessity higher than game bought unprepared from the butcher or game dealer. The fact that game no longer carries the old label of exclusiveness and is now gracing the table of a much wider section of the public can only be good news for the shooting man, game dealer and consumer.

There are endless ways of cooking game; it is appropriate for everyday family meals, Sunday lunches, special occasions, for picnics or barbecues. Most experts would agree that young game which has been cleanly shot is best cooked plainly and simply; a young roasted bird takes some beating, but there are times when the game is old or badly shot when it calls for more careful cooking to do it justice. This is when you can experiment with different casseroles, pot-roasts, pies and soups, trying new combinations of ingredients to include vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices.

As game birds tend to dry out easily in the cooking, the French method of roasting is ideal for them. For this the birds are roasted covered, with stock or wine added, instead of the dry-roast method so popular in the United Kingdom. A self-basting roasting tin produces a similar result and is ideal for pheasants and all the small game birds. A pressure cooker is an invaluable aid to the game cook for preparing a complete meal quickly; a rabbit stew, for example, may take as little as 25 minutes to cook, and the gravy will be rich and well flavoured. It is also useful for the initial cooking of a tough old hare or fork bender cock pheasant. This will help to tenderise the meat before you begin to follow the recipe.

Occasionally the bag will contain only three-quarters of a badly shot or dogged bird, or you may be left with several legs after making a breast only dish. These oddments should not be wasted but are ideal for use in pts, burgers, pies or soups.

Many modern families have barbecues in the garden, or enjoy cooking out of doors on an open fire. Provided that the meat is marinated beforehand and basted during cooking, or foil wrapped to keep it moist, game can make a delicious alternative to the traditional and boring beefburgers and sausages. Provided that they are young, joints of rabbit, grouse, pheasant or partridge can all be successfully barbecued.

In the past game cooking has been associated with the old farmhouse kitchen range, but kitchens today tend to be equipped with a variety of different types of cooker gas, electric or the microwave oven. For most families a microwave oven is complementary to the deep freeze and to their traditional oven rather than a substitute for it. It is useful if you are forgetful about removing food from the freezer for defrosting or if your family meals are at irregular times or endlessly interrupted, in which case food may either need to be cooked quickly from frozen or reheated. This equally applies to cooked game dishes as well as to other ready-cooked meals or convenience foods straight from the freezer. Game dishes can also be successfully prepared in the microwave, but it is better if the oven has facilities for browning and slow cooking. A roasted bird looks more appetising if served with a crisp golden-brown skin, and a good old-fashioned jugged hare needs long slow cooking both to tenderise the meat and to allow the full rich flavour to develop.

If you follow the advice of most doctors and go for a low-fat diet, then game is ideal. There is very little natural fat on any game and any excess oiliness sometimes present in wildfowl drains off the birds if they are roasted on a trivet. Low in fat also means fewer calories and is therefore a valuable aid to those watching their waistlines and seeking variety to endless dishes of chicken and cottage cheese.

Whenever possible, I have tried to avoid the use of extra fat during cooking. It is not essential, for example, to fry meat in butter or oil before cooking it in a casserole. When roasting small game birds or venison, a little extra fat or bacon may be needed to prevent the meat from becoming dry, but this should always be skimmed off before making the gravy or sauce. Larger birds should be roasted breast down to ensure that the juices run into and not off the breast, thus helping to keep the meat moist. Instead of using the roux method of mixing butter and flour with milk for making sauces, try blending cornflour and skimmed milk. Some of the richer recipes include cream, but top of the milk, natural low-fat yoghurt or crme frache may be substituted.