Talking Festive Food

For all shooting fans out there this blog post is perfect for you. We have teamed up with Talking Game to bring you some festive game dinner ideas. The third annual edition of Talking Game is now available.

As before, its avowed mission is to encourage all, but especially those within the shooting fraternity, to eat more game. In pursuit of this quest it includes over 50 recipes – from basic burgers and easy to prepare meals supplied by home chefs to the more elaborate and inspirational creations of leading chefs – to enhance the enjoyment of game throughout the season and beyond.

In addition to the recipes is the usual variety of features. This issue looks into the working life of gamekeepers, shooting’s real heroes, on four estates with widely differing demands; investigates the work of individuals and organisations committed to preserving and promoting shooting; looks at some of the specific issues confronting field sports in the UK; and talks game with a wide variety of sportsmen, cooks, writers and other enthusiasts.

Talking Game is a must-have for keen cooks, guns, and everyone associated with shooting. Designed and printed to the highest standards and normally priced at £20 a copy, the 200-page 2020/21 edition is out now and available to Deakin & Francis clients for £15.

To order the perfect Christmas present for this game season and beyond, click here https://talkinggame.co.uk/shop/ and use voucher code tgwp to get your discount.

For those who love to shoot and want to look the part, or you want to gift a loved one something special, we have picked some of our favourite shooting and hunting inspired pieces.

Shotgun Cufflinks

Sterling Silver Pheasant Cufflinks

Pheasant Head Decanter

Sterling Silver Shotgun Cartridge Cufflinks

18ct Yellow Gold Fox Head Chain Cufflinks With Hunting Horn

We also want to share with you one of talking game’s fabulous recipes:

Breast of pheasant, parsnip purée, mulled blackberries, colcannon croquettes, red wine sauce:

Serves 4

• 4 pheasant breasts
• 50ml vegetable oil
• Marinade
• 100ml rapeseed oil
• 1tbs juniper berries, crushed
• 1tbs thyme, chopped
• Colcannon croquettes
• 200g mashed potato
• 75g cabbage, roughly chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped 
• 50g mature British cheese, grated 
• 1tsp English mustard
• 3tbs plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 100g panko breadcrumbs
• 1tbs rapeseed oil
• Mulled blackberries
• ¼ punnet blackberries
• ¼ bottle red wine
• ½ orange, halved
• 30g demerara sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• grated nutmeg
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Parsnip purée
• 2 parsnips, sliced
• 200ml cream
• Red wine sauce
• 2tsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 150ml red wine
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• 400ml chicken stock
• 2tbs butter
• pinch sugar

Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate the breasts for a few hours.

Combine the mash, greens, spring onions, cheese, and mustard for the croquettes in a large bowl. Use your hands to shape the mixture into 4 croquettes. Put the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow dishes. Dip the croquettes into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, turning to coat. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and gently fry the croquettes for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and heated through.

Gently heat the wine for the mulled blackberries with the orange, sugar, bay leaf and the spices until the sugar has dissolved. Taste to see if you need more sugar. Take off the heat, drop in the blackberries, and allow to cool in the liquor.

For the parsnip purée, cook the sliced parsnips, cream, and 100ml water in a covered pan until the parsnips are soft. Strain, reserving the cream, and transfer the parsnips to a blender. Add a splash of the cooking liquor and blitz until smooth and silky. Season to taste and set aside.

For the sauce, fry the shallots in the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat until golden and caramelised, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and herbs and simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by half.

Pour in the stock and continue to cook until reduced by half again, then strain, discarding the shallots and herbs.

Transfer the sauce to a new pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, then season to taste.

To cook the pheasant, remove the breasts from the marinade. Add the oil to a hot pan and shallow fry the breasts, skin-side down, until golden brown. Once golden, turn over the breasts and place in the oven for 5-6 minutes at 180˚C. Rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Hopefully this blog has given you the perfect gift and food inspiration for Christmas this year