Peter Jones explains why venison will be his first choice this Christmas.
I appreciate it’s a terrible cliché, but for me, Christmas this year will be about getting back to basics.
I’ll be putting aside the shooting politics that has defined much of 2024 and will be simply spending time with my family and enjoying some good food.
As a nod to my wife’s Lithuanian heritage, we’ll be enjoying fish on Christmas eve, which in truth, makes our overindulgence in meat on Christmas day all the richer.
Appetisers will include ‘Rodolph’s in blankets’, (venison sausages in place of bacon), some homemade venison liver pate and venison tartare. Christmas dinner itself will be Patridge and venison loin. Admittedly, the food won’t all be ‘game’ based, but ‘game’ will be the theme, and so it should be.
The Jones family this year, will be saving the planet one mouthful at a time, and that’ll be one less of the 10 million Turkeys consumed each year by largely non-shooting folk, who contribute to an estimated 65 million kg of CO2 each Christmas, from turkey alone!
Not only that, but by consuming venison, I’ll enhance the biodiversity of the countryside and will be improving both my physical and mental health, through venturing outdoors into the countryside, where I can…breeeeathe….. and release some of the tension that has built up from too much politics.
It is, as they say, a ‘no-brainer’.
Of course, I am preaching to the converted. Through December, many of you will be looking to source that special animal that will be worthy of serving up on Christmas day. Whether it is the UK’s largest Red or the most diminutive Chinese Water Deer, every species of deer is in season during the build up to Christmas, something that makes the task of sourcing that joint of venison a little easier. That said, its hunting, so don’t leave it too late!
Whilst writing, I am pleased to reveal that our almanac is now going out monthly on our County Deer Stalking YouTube channel. As such, please look out for the January almanac, which, along with a film, will be going out between Christmas and New Year, when I will be looking a little ‘ruddy’ and chubbier around the chops!
Here at County Deer Stalking, we are super pleased to be able to put out regular films and our new monthly almanac, if you would be kind enough to do just one small thing in return. To receive notification of regular films and our new monthly almanac, we simply ask this Christmas, that you please, take just two minutes to subscribe to our YouTube Chanel and hit the notification bell. You can do this by following this link: youtube.com/user/countydeerstalking
Thank you and very Happy Christmas!
IN Season in England & Wales: Roe Doe, Fallow Doe & Fallow Buck, Sika Stag & Sika Hind, Red Stag & Red Hind, CWD Buck & CWD Doe, Muntjac Buck & Muntjac Doe.
OFF Season in England & Wales: Roebuck.
In Season in Scotland: All deer.
(Peter S Jones - editor)
