Why we should all be game for venison

Venison’s attributes are remarkable. It is the probably the most sustainable meat you can eat, given the unquestionable need to manage the country’s deer population to stop these elegant but pesky creatures from damaging woodland and wildlife habitats. And what of its health credentials? The deer’s free-foraging, cross-country roaming lifestyle makes it incredibly lean: higher in protein and lower in fat than any other meat, with zero cholesterol.

Ethically minded chefs and environmentalists have long been making the case for us to eat more venison, and more game generally. The Countryside Alliance’s ‘Game-to-Eat’ campaign has been banging the drum for years. Venison’s popularity is growing but we still seem a bit reluctant to embrace the meat on our doorstep: one of the country’s leading game chefs, Mike Robinson, last month blasted M&S for stocking New Zealand venison over the British venison which we have in such abundance.