With more people turning to wild British game this Christmas, wild game specialist Wild and Game is meeting demand with game-filled hampers and festive recipes.
Wild and Game, the company on a mission to get more people in the UK enjoying wild native game, is gearing up for its busiest festive season yet. With many people worried about festive food shortages, game is seen as a perfect solution – and as a result, the company’s festive hampers are selling fast: it has already sold 30% more hampers than in the whole period last year.
“Our hampers are always popular but we’ve definitely noticed that they are selling much faster than usual this year,” says Wild and Game co-founder Steven Frampton. “Wild game is in plentiful supply in the UK and there are few labour shortages in the game sector, so we are confident we will be able to fulfil all our orders, guaranteeing people a whole array of great game meals over the Christmas period.”
The hampers, priced from £104.99 to £359.99, are designed to see two or four people through Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and beyond, offering everything from savoury spreads to hearty roasts. They are available to order now for delivery between 12th December and 23rd December.
“We’ve really pushed the boat out with this year’s hampers, packing in more products than ever before,” says Steve. “The aim is to bring a touch of luxury and something a bit different to people’s festive dinner tables. Wild game is in season at Christmas time, making this the perfect opportunity to enjoy it.”
Founded in 2017, Wild and Game is a leader in a growing market for game: many people are embracing it as a more interesting alternative to the usual supermarket options. It also has relatively low food miles and is lower in fat and higher in protein than farmed meats. As well as selling game meat, Wild and Game sells game pies, pasties, sausage rolls, charcuterie, ready meals and more – and for Christmas, it also has whole geese and wild boar sausage meat alongside its four different hampers.
New additions in time for Christmas include two new pâtés – venison, juniper and gin and partridge, pear and gin, and an expanded selection of artisan cheeses for the perfect festive cheeseboard.
Looking ahead to 2022, the company will continue to expand its range, with new pies and other products already in development.
“We’re delighted by how much Wild and Game has grown in the past four years,” says Steven. “We started this company because we believed game was a massively underused resource in the UK – and one that is becoming more important as concerns about sustainability, healthy eating and intensive farming practices become more pressing. We’re working to help people rediscover the art and the joy of cooking with game, and we’ve got plenty of recipes on our website to help them get the most from this outstanding and versatile native ingredient.”
Don’t forget ladies Wild and Game are also on The Country Girls UK marketplace so don’t forget to use your discount code if you order this Christmas.
Venison hotpot recipe
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 pack of Wild and Game diced venison
- 1 tsp Worcester sauce
- 750 ml beef stock
- 700g potatoes, sliced to about the thickness of a pound coin.
- 200g carrots, sliced
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
- 1 tbsp mushroom ketchup or a handful of finely diced mushrooms
- 50g butter
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A couple of glugs of olive or vegetable oil
- A knob of butte
To serve - Vegetables of your choice.
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 150C/Gas mark 2.
- Heat the knob of butter and oil in a pan and cook the onions for a few minutes until soft.
- Toss the venison in the flour.
- Add the venison to the pan and cook until browned.
- Add the carrot and cook for a minute.
- Add the stock and stir until thickened.
- Add the Worcester sauce, mushroom ketchup and herbs and season to taste,
- Melt the 50g butter in a pan.
- Place the meat mixture in a shallow casserole or lasagne dish and top with a layer of potato. Pour on melted butter, add salt and pepper then repeat until all potatoes and butter have been used up.
- Cook in the oven for 2 hours then serve with your choice of vegetables.
Blog written by Wild and Game