Game’s afoot as chefs campaign to get grouse on more menus

If talk of grouse moors and the Glorious Twelfth means little to you, that could be about to change — as some of Britain’s leading chefs campaign to make the bird a fixture on our menus.

Tom Kitchin, Nick Nairn and Dominic Jack — all of whom are Michelin-starred — have been working to raise awareness of the game as a sustainable food source, as part of the Gift Of Grouse initiative. The chefs, from Scotland, have been travelling around Britain encouraging restaurants to get grouse on their menu in the shooting season, which runs from August 12, or the Glorious Twelfth, to December 10.

Kitchin, pictured, said: “To me, grouse symbolises all that is great about Scottish produce. The game we have access to in Scotland is so outstanding, I always feel it’s my duty to share the passion I have for it.”

Tim Siadatan, executive chef and co-owner of Italian restaurants Trullo in Islington and Padella in Borough Market, recently took chefs from the two restaurants up to Dunmaglass Estate, in the Scottish Highlands, to gain an appreciation for the origins of the meat. He said: “We’ve been getting our grouse direct from the Dunmaglass Estate for around three years now and it is a regular on both Trullo and Padella’s menus during the grouse season. Our kitchen team’s visit to the estate was great fun and we learned a lot about the whole process. A few of us bagged our first-ever grouse and cooking it from hill to plate was a great experience.”

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