Game is any animal hunted for the purpose of food.  Here in Britain we have a wide variety, from deer (Britain’s largest land mammal) to game birds (black and red grouse, pheasants, partridge, etc).  Historically game was only for the rich and privileged, with huge deer parks fenced off for nobles and royalty.  It wasn’t until wartime intervention and the development of arable land that the deer population was persecuted.  This became the start of what we now call deer management systems. 

There are six species of deer found throughout Britain.  They are both an important and valued element of our flora and fauna.  From the famous red deer found on the hills of Scotland to the fallow of the lowland forests these creatures are truly wild and wonderful, holding an iconic and majestic status often coupled with myth and legend.  In fact only two of these species, red and roe, are indigenous, with fallow arriving with the Normans and sika, muntjac and chinese water deer only arriving in the last 100 years following escapes and deliberate releases from deer parks and private collections. 

From the famous red deer to the famous grouse, the most prestigious of all game birds.  The grouse along with, pheasants, partridge and woodcock (but to name a few) support the crux of much of our rural income with many a wealthy man shelling out for lovely days in the countryside to hunt these great animals.  And it is with these activities that we are readily supplied with some of the most marvellous and mouth watering meat available to man.