Vension

Venison is a generic term, covering different species of deer, including the roe deer, red deer; fallow and muntjac, all of which vary in size and do have different eating qualities. The meat from a roe deer, for example, is rather more tender than that from a red deer. The flavour also varies significantly according to how long the carcass has been hung for.

Not many butchers take the time to break down a venison carcass in the way they would a lamb, which I can never understand as it would provide more value for the butcher and more variety for the customer. As you can see, the cuts here are pretty similar to those from a lamb carcass. Of course, if you live in the country and you’re able to buy large portions of meat carcasses direct from a local farmer, you might like to have a go at butchery, preparing some of these cuts yourself.