I know that the summer months are not seen as being ”game season” but at The Great Yorkshire Show, the country pursuit’s area was promoting Yorkshire game and “us chefs” picked up the challenge and ran with it!
Rosemary and Steph at the Game Cookery Theatre
To be honest, I think that a lot of people are scared to cook game so anything that can boost the sales in our region is a good idea in my book. We had celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager getting really excited about rabbit, and venison in the Game Cookery Theatre.
Rabbit Leg with Red Wine Risotto- "Rosemary style" (The risotto was mind blowingly good)
The Game Cookery Theatre was an institute of culinary excellence and knowledge! Andrew Pern and Dan discussed the beauty of the ‘duck egg’, James Mackenzie blew us away with a light and amazingly tall Yorkshire pudding, which had Kirstie Allsopp (from Channel 4′s “Kirstie’s Crafty Britain”) very enthralled! (He even gave her his secret recipe to serve alongside some Yorkshire game!).
Andrew Pern and Dan from The Star Inn
- Venison by the Chefs at The Star Inn at Harome
James Mackenzie show us some Yorkshire puddings for a Channel 4 TV programme
James's "Pipe and Glass" style Rack of Venison with Yorkshire pudding
Heather Copley and butcher, Nicolas Sheldon, from Farmer Copley’s Farm Shop butchered up some ‘venison haunch’ and cooked it up with bramble and liquorice.
Heather and Nicholas from Farmer Copleys
Another great butcher, Paul Nicholson, from Fodder in Harrogate even butchered up a whole venison! What a great demo – I am gutted (pardon the pun!) that I did not get my camera dusted off for that!
Then, as if by magic, Tim Bilton and Natalie from The Butchers Arms cooked up a venison dish!
Tim Bilton and Natalie from The Butchers Arms at Hepworth present their venison dish
Michael Eminson, chef from The Bull at Broughton, showed us how to make “that rabbit turnover dish”, made famous by Lisa Allen when she cooked for Prince Charles and Camilla (who incidentally were at the show on Wednesday but they never popped in to say hello!).
Michael Eminson, Head Chef at "The Bull at Broughton" with Craig Bancroft
Rabbit turnover with homemade Piccalilli
Chris Oakden, sous chef at The Coniston Hotel, got very excited about a pheasant burger and I am not surprised. He informed us that he cooks his way through 2,000 pheasants when they are in season from the Hotel’s shoot!!
Ethnie Bannister and Chris Oakden from The Coniston Hotel, Skipton
Rob Ramsden from Deli Fresh used venison liver in his demonstration, and Joshua Angel from ‘Events by Joshua’ set us on fire with a ‘Taylor’s of Harrogate Tea Smoked Pigeon Breast’ dish that also made it to the T.V with Christa Ackroyd and Harry Gration.
Old buddies Rob Ramsden and Steph Moon
Matthew Lockwood had a full house for his ‘Home Cured Wild Boar’ and Simon Crannage really showed us some modern cooking techniques and used some of the estate vegetables to go with his dishes. Unfortunately I missed the photo opportunity boys!
I am only sorry that I missed Dan Birk’s stylish dish from The Box Tree in Ilkley - I heard great reviews….
Rob, Steph and Dan Birk at Deliciouslyorkshire theatre in the food hall
Paul Mackie from Rudding Park showed us a great partridge dish, please read the recipe here. Paul is a keen Wild Cook himself and a contributor to the blog. Local Partridge with Forager’s Potato Cake and Blueberry Reduction.
Rudding Park's Paul Mackie with his pigeon dish
Last up, but by no means least, was Richard Wright from the Craven Arms in Giggleswick who cooked rabbit and pigeon caught from their farm.
My own demonstration at the Game Cookery Theatre was with Nigel Lister from Ox Close Farm in Wetherby and what that chap knows about pigeon, venison and rabbit is an oracle of knowledge! We really enjoyed a good fun demo, with a packed audience and lots of laughs along the way!
The Wild Cook with Nigel Lister!
It would be wrong not to also mention the Deliciouslyorkshire Cookery Theatre. I worked there on Thursday alongside many chefs and suppliers, including Darren Iddon and Matthew Askwith cooking up some Whitby fish to thrill with a super hake dish. There was also some fantastic filleting from Matthew at Whitby Seafish to complement Darren’s Raithwaite Hall cookery.
My partner in crime for this demo was Robert Smith from Sykes House Farm. We cooked up some steaks that went down very well and a lamb dish that had a burst of summer flavour.
All in all it was an amazing three days! The Great Yorkshire Show was only 15 visitors short of their all time record so good for them!!
On a personal level, I am encouraged that local chefs are passionate about game and Yorkshire food and that we are spreading the word – that’s what it is all about!
Many thanks to all who took part…..
The audience enjoyed the Game Cookery Theatre over the 3 days at the show
Steph x
