Buying

ALWAYS buy your game from a professional game dealer or butcher. This way you will know that the bird or beast has been legally shot, dealt with in the field according to new legislation and hung for an acceptable length of time.

Hanging

This is a huge problem for a lot of people, who think that hung game will be stinky and awful - this is not the case. When you buy your meat from the butcher, it will have been taken care of but you may want to ask purely out of interest and to get an idea of flavour.
If you were to shoot the game yourself, as a rough guide hang pheasants for 4 days, partridges for 3 days, rabbits for a week and hares for as long as you dare! Wild venison will be hung by the game dealer for an appropriate time depending on the age of the beast. I do not believe that game needs to be well hung – for me the purpose of hanging is to allow the meat to relax and to concentrate flavour, not to make it taste rancid.

Preparation

This is a huge subject that deserves an article all by itself. Generally you will buy your game meat from a skilled butcher who will prepare it as you wish. For example, if I was to buy a couple of wild rabbits from the butcher, I would expect to buy them whole, then have him cut them into saddles, thighs and shoulders.
Once the bird or beast is pan or oven ready you can do the culinary preparation: For steak cuts or deboned breasts I suggest a little olive oil, some fresh thyme or oregano and a little cracked pepper. This will keep your meat in perfect condition and prevent oxidisation, as well as seasoning it.

Easily available game species

It is always best to look up a list of game species in season but I do have certain favourites. For venison: summer roebuck is wonderful, as is young fallow venison, but the finest in my book is muntjac which you can get year round. Rabbit is a firm favourite in the winter, but not in summer when the does are milky. I adore hare from October to March, and of course partridge and pheasant are winter greats. Ducks such as teal and mallard are great but hard to shoot and expensive to buy. Remember that fallow and red deer rut in the autumn and thus can be a little gamy.

Cooking methods

I could do and entire essay on how to cook venison alone, but certain rules apply. Venison shoulders and necks are best braised or casseroled, whereas the saddles and haunches can be cut into melt in the mouth paves (steaks).
Rabbits and hares should always be slow cooked as a rule, and should be done in an uncomplicated manner – rabbit stew or jugged hare. Roast the young or female game birds in a hot oven with a good olive oil and herb marinade for a short while then let them rest for at least 15 minutes. Old birds and cock birds are best casseroled – think pheasant au vin.

Taste of meats and good flavour combinations

For a long time people had a preconception that game was strong and unpleasant in flavour. This had nothing to do with the meat itself, but was a result of overly long hanging practises. The flavour of game meats vary tremendously.

Rabbit is a mild white meat that goes very well with red wine, cider or mustard. Venison is dark and well flavoured, especially the smaller species, and goes with olive oil and hard herbs like thyme and rosemary – it also likes a hint of garlic. Pheasant I find is a winner when roasted with rosemary, lemon and fruity olive oil – it tastes slightly better than good chicken. Do very little to partridge, since it's so delicate, perhaps pot roast it with some thyme, hay and cider, but whatever you do, don't overcook it! Pigeon is a real favourite with overtones of beef and liver. It is absolutely splendid with balsamic vinegar. Hare is dark and brooding and works amazingly well with dark red wine like Fitou and good bacon. A little chocolate can work well as a finisher. Wild ducks adore combining themselves with good prosciutto and a spot of butter, and should be cooked very gently and well rested, especially teal.

In short, game is the best variety of meat we have, and represents phenomenal value for money and quality, so get out there and support the countryside – buy some today!