Venison

Red deer venison comes from either a mature stag weighing approximately 105 kg, or a hind weighing 70 kg (cleaned weight). The meat is close-grained, dark crimson red with a firm white fat. The flavour depends on the age and condition of the animal, as well as the hanging time. Deer are culled in the wild and gralloched (innards removed) immediately. They are then transported on hill ponies to a collection point where they are trucked in refrigerated vehicles to a production unit; skinned; inspected by a vet; hung for approximately two to three days and then butchered into prime cuts and other products such as sausages and mince. There are approximately 40,000 wild red deer culled each year, also a few herds of farmed red deer.