Game

Shaun’s affinity with game birds is well known. When the grouse start appearing around the Glorious 12th of August, it’s like a carnivorous foodie version of a new Apple product launch – game fans send us frantic messages asking whether they’ve arrived and a litany of well-heeled City folk march into the restaurant, ready to tuck a napkin into their shirt and get stuck in.

Pre-service briefings during game season (which peaks in autumn when as many as five or six game dishes may be on our menu) play out like a slightly macabre episode of Springwatch. These magnificent specimens will be brought over from the butcher and described in detail, not just their flavour profiles but their migratory patterns, how and where they are shot and how rare they are. Obviously, this is a more visceral experience than looking at a slab of meat and it makes you very aware of the process by which meat comes to our plate, but we’ve always felt that educating our team about this process and engaging with it is crucial.