Chefs shown how to raise their game

Jose Souto, who is also a chef lecturer at Westminster Kingsway College, prepared a variety of different game in front of 20 local chefs and apprentices.

Starting off with smaller game, such as partridge, grouse, quail, mallard, rabbit and hare, Mr Souto moved onto the main event – a deer.

‘My aim is to give chefs here in Guernsey an understanding of game, from field to plate, preparation methods, identification and everything about it.’

‘In the UK we’ve become a lot better at using it because we have a lot of people teaching it.

‘The nutritional values are outstanding, especially with things such as venison.

‘We’ve got a NHS Trust using venison, which has gone down really well because of the health benefits.'

A former colleague of Mr Souto, and chef lecturer at the College of Further Education, Alan Drummond, said it was a great opportunity to show local chefs the facilities at the Coutanchez campus.

‘There are a few people who have eaten or shot game, but most of them have never used or know anything about it, so it’s really educational,’ he said.

‘I think game should be on more menus, it’s a healthy option and it’s full of flavour, but people don’t know how to prep it which is probably the biggest barrier.

‘I’d like to think that after this demo they could add game to their menus.’

Sponsorship from Highland Game and Lincolnshire Game allowed the product to be brought to the island.

Mr Drummond said once chefs had found a supplier, it was easy to get game to the island.

Three CofE apprentice chefs attended the demonstration as part of the enrichment of their course.

Taylor Piggot is an apprentice working at Moores Hotel and said he had never thought he would be watching a demonstration on preparing game as part of his course.

‘We’d covered a tiny part at college, but it’s great to see how many types of game birds there are and the difference the season makes,’ he said.

Game was something he would like to work with in the future, he said.

When being more aware of ethically-produced meats, venison is an ethical product and the natural harvest of some UK countryside, which Mr Souto said was a great way of using a natural commodity.