How would you like to win a celebrity chef for an evening, or what about winning a place at one of the country’s top cookery schools? Well these are just two of the prizes in competitions being organised to promote this year’s National Taste of Game Week (15-22 November).
Game, such as pheasant, venison or rabbit is natural, healthy and delicious and in recent years has become increasingly available. Sainsbury’s has just launched a new game range which this season includes game casserole, wild venison, wild rabbit, whole partridge and wood pigeon. The packaging for the new game range carries BASC’s Game’s On logo which reinforces the message that game is local, healthy and nutritious.
National Taste of Game Week is a major initiative from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) which highlight the benefits of game meat. The current campaign has been running since 2005 but dates back to the 1960s when the WAGBI (Wildfowlers Association for Great Britain and Ireland) game recipe books were produced.
Over the last three years around 500,000 Game’s On recipe leaflets have been distributed through a network of game fairs, game tasting events and game dealers. Dozens of recipes along with plenty of helpful information and advice about game is available via the Game’s On website: www.gameson.org.uk.
Since the launch of Game’s On the sale of game has doubled. From 2004 to 2006 sales of game meat such as venison and grouse went up by 46 per cent, and reached £57 million by the end of 2006. The increase in sales of everyday red meat and poultry rose by only 5 per cent. The popularity of game shows no sign of abating with sales predicted to hit £84 million by 2011 (Mintel 2007).
Across the UK all sorts of game food related activities are taking place from 15-22 November. There are various competitions as part of National Taste of Game week, including a chance to win a day at the Mike Robinson’s Game and Wild food cookery school in Yattendon, Berkshire or winning one of two chefs for the night to cook a special game dinner for eight people. You could also win a hamper of Sainsbury’s game or two cases of wine courtesy of Pol Roger. For more information about any of the activities, or to enter the competition visit the Games On website.
Game’s On coordinator, Simon Hamlyn, said: “The Game’s On campaign is making a genuine contribution to the promotion and increased sales of game and I am delighted that Sainsbury’s and so many others continue to support National Taste of Game Week”
ENDS