We don’t feel that pheasant gets enough praise as a food source. Not only is it lean, nutritious and hella tasty, they also lead an unrivalled life before landing on our dinner plate.
Pheasant season has started, which means bright crisp mornings, muddy boots and hopefully a few birds destined for the kitchen.
At Forelock & Load, we don’t feel that pheasant gets nearly enough praise as a food source.
Not only is it lean, nutritious and hella tasty, pheasants also lead an unrivalled life before landing on our dinner plate. They spend their days outdoors, roaming woodland, hedgerows and fields, eating a natural and varied diet. Compared with much of the meat we routinely buy from supermarkets, it is incredibly hard to argue with game as a genuinely local and sustainable source of food. Somehow pheasant still has a reputation for being difficult to cook or tastes too gamey and strong. It really isn’t! Without offending some of our readers, I do not leave my birds to hang – I generally try and get them oven ready that evening or the following day.
Why eat pheasant?
Pheasant is naturally lean, high in protein and full of flavour without being overwhelmingly “gamey”. If you like chicken, there is absolutely no reason to be frightened of cooking pheasant.
The key is to remember that it contains very little fat, so it benefits from a little help, think bacon, butter, cream, cider (all the good things!) or a good casserole sauce rather than cooking it to within an inch of its life.
One bird also goes surprisingly far, particularly when cooked in a casserole, pie or curry.
During the shooting season, pheasant is one of the most abundant locally available meats we have. If you shoot, beat or pick up, you may well be offered birds at the end of the day. If you aren’t involved in shooting, it’s worth asking your local butcher or game dealer.
Shooting season essentials
Of course, before the pheasant reaches the kitchen, there is the small matter of getting through a day in the field. British shooting weather can be glorious. It can also be horizontal rain, freezing wind and ankle-deep mud — occasionally all before elevenses. Having the right kit makes an enormous difference.
At Forelock & Load, we’ve got the essentials covered for the season, including:
- Shooting footwear suitable for long days on wet and uneven ground
- Breeks to prevent bulk in your wellies and to keep you warm
- Waterproof shooting jackets for when the weather inevitably does its thing
- Gun slips to keep your gun transportable and safe
- Cartridge bags different styles for you to carry your shells
- And, of course, cartridges well you’d struggle to shoot without them!
Whether you’re heading out for your first day of the season or replacing kit that has finally given up after years of service, we are here to help you find something practical that you’ll actually enjoy wearing and using.
And once you’ve got the shooting kit sorted, you can concentrate on the important bit:
What are we having for supper?
Creamy Cider & Mustard Pheasant
This is one of those recipes that tastes as though you’ve made considerably more effort than you actually have. The cider, bacon and cream keep the pheasant beautifully moist, while mustard and thyme cut through the richness.
You will need…
For around 4 people:
2 pheasants
8 rashers streaky bacon
1 onion sliced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
300ml dry cider
150ml chicken stock
150ml double cream
1 heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard
A few sprigs of thyme
Redcurrant jelly couple of teaspoons
1 eating apple cut into wedges
Butter and a little oil
Salt and black pepper
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C fan.
Season the pheasants generously with salt and pepper. Heat a knob of butter and a splash of oil in a large casserole dish and brown the birds all over, then remove them and set aside.
Add the bacon and cook until it is just beginning to colour. Add the onion and cook gently for around five minutes, followed by the garlic for another minute.
Pour in the cider and let it bubble for two or three minutes before adding the chicken stock, Dijon mustard and thyme.
Return the pheasants to the casserole, breast-side up, and drape some of the bacon over the breasts and chop up any left over rashers.
Cover and cook in the oven for approximately 35–45 minutes, depending on the size of the birds.
Add the apple wedges for the final 15 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the pheasants and allow them to rest for 10–15 minutes.
Put the casserole gravy back over the heat, stir in the double cream and the redcurrant jelly. Simmer gently until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Carve the pheasant, spoon over plenty of sauce and serve. Add any remaining sauce into a jug for your guests to pour over their pheasant!
We would serve this with roast potatoes or a buttery mash and green beans or roasted hispi cabbage. Delicious!
Give game a go
If you’re lucky enough to come home from a day’s shooting with a brace of pheasants this season, don’t let them languish in the freezer because you’re not sure what to do with them.
Pheasant is fantastic food. It’s local, lean, incredibly versatile and, when cooked properly, absolutely delicious.
So this season, alongside getting your boots muddy, your cartridges stocked and your waterproofs ready, perhaps it’s time to give the humble pheasant a little more appreciation too.
Shop shooting clothing, footwear, game cartridges and accessories online at Forelock & Load, or pop into the shop and we’ll help get you sorted for the season.
