Back in 2005 Jamie Oliver initiated a campaign originally called “Feed Me Better” to move British schoolchildren towards eating healthy foods.
With game and venison being the nutritionally excellent options they are, they definitely fit the bill. And now this wild meat is being offered at nurseries in Dorset and Hampshire.
The move has come about thanks to the work of Eat Wild, the development board for all wild meat in the UK and delicious wild meat meals are being served to children at Tops Nurseries, three times a week.
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Leon Challis-Davies, Culinary Director at Eat Wild, who is leading the project says: “There are lots of reasons why getting wild and sustainable meat onto school menus is so important, I could talk about them for hours. First and foremost, though, it’s so important that we get the younger generation to eat more nutritional and vitamin-rich food to help them develop. Wild meat is not only healthier, but it’s also more sustainable than what we consume from our current meat-producing sector. It’s much more flavoursome too. For the countryside community in particular, this is a huge win, and we hope to take it to the next level and introduce wild meat into higher education and beyond.”
Peter Ttofis, Catering Manager for Tops Nurseries said: “I had always been aware of how delicious wild foods were, especially game. The variety and how natural it is always appealed to me, as I knew it hadn’t been subjected to courses of intense growth hormones or antibiotic treatment and is left to roam freely eating natural foods within its natural environment. Because after all, we are what we eat, right? This got me thinking, could children benefit from eating wild meat? And could the odd dish make its way onto our menus?
He continued: “After a bit of research, we discovered that the nutritional value of game was excellent, and contained less fat, as much protein and nutrients like vitamin B-12, iron and zinc as our typical household meats like beef, chicken, lamb and pork. I also saw the conservation work that went on around these animals. We decided to create fun and vibrant dishes from around the world using wild food; dishes like venison bolognaise or venison orzo bake will make their way onto our menus, giving the children their first tastes of game and a gateway to new nutritional flavours. Giving wild food a try and experimenting with our food diversity is something we should really be giving a go and exploring, because after all, food should be fun, exciting, new and delicious.”
So hopefully, a new generation are being brought up with a taste for wild meat and game, who appreciate just how delicious it is.
You’ll also be able to enjoy wild meat at The Game Fair, whether it’s a venison burger or a pheasant schnitzel and watch cookery demonstrations in the Wild Food Theatre.
