Poultry & Game

Over the past five or six years there has been a marked change in eating habits, a move away from the heavier red meats to poultry and game when in season. It is particularly noticeable in the restaurant. Chicken and duck are always popular. The demand for steak, once an obligatory item on every menu, has declined dramatically.

This is a change that suits me well. I enjoy cooking and eating beef or lamb, say, but I find the extraordinary adaptability of chicken or duck, guinea fowl, rabbit, hare or pheasant terrifically exciting. The seasons set natural parameters. In summer months the charcoal grill comes into play, giving its smoky outdoors flavour to marinated chicken or guinea fowl. Autumn introduces the first of the game, gradually bringing stronger, earthier tastes and heartier dishes to the menu. Rich stews and casseroles replace the lighter dishes of the summer as the weather chills into winter. The last days of February see the end of the shooting season and, with luck, the first intimations of spring. Domestic fowl replace the game and fresh flavours start to oust the mellow winter comforters. And so, full circle, back to summer.