We are at the end of the game season for another year.We were out shooting this week as it is important for the staff to realise where the food comes from and the amount of effort,care and skill is taken in hunting for birds. I only fired one shot as i dont belive in shooting unless i am going to get something I shot a woodcock. All together we shot 2 snipes, 2 woodcock, 4 phesants,T
The team © Kevin Thornton
Woodcock © Kevin Thornton
Woodcock Beak © Kevin Thornton
Cillian and Kevin © Kevin Thornton
Alan jumping across the bog © Kevin Thornton
james catching an empty rifle© Kevin Thornton
The Team with the days catch © Kevin Thornton
GAME FOR AUTUMN 
Woodcock Beak and Leg © Kevin Thornton
After a good, sunny summer I really look forward to hearty, warm food as the weather nods towards winter and the days get shorter. At Thorntons, our menu changes daily depending on what’s available, but at this time of the year I like to go on the wild side, and big it up on the abundance of wild foods that are currently in season.
Game will take pride of place, making the most of its short season. Game refers to any animal that is wild and hunted for eating, and includes both feathered and four legged creatures. Traditionally the season for the former runs from the 1st of October – 1st of Feb and for the latter from the 1st September until the 1st March. Over the coming weeks venison, rabbit, grouse, mallard, teal, widgeon, woodcock, snipe will all be making an appearance on the menu, and, in the run up to Christmas we like to feature partridge and pheasant.
To say that all game is wild is a bit disingenuous. Only a small proportion of the game we eat is really wild – for many, their environment is carefully managed; predators are kept down and food sources are increased to maintain body weight.
Once upon a time I used to buy wild game from a number of trusted hunters around the country. Nowdays its harder to rely on this method alone, so we also source from Wild Irish Game in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, who act almost like an agency for a number of ‘shooters’, selling on their ‘bags’ and making sure that current (and very stringent) legal and health and safety requirements are met. All of the animals are signed off by a vet before the animals make their way into specialist butchers and onto restaurant menus.
This game feeds on a varied diet of berries, grains, grubs and grasses which gives it its distinctive ‘gamey’ flavour, the intensity of which is much more than you get with grain or grass fed farmed animals. These animals run free so their muscles are more developed and the meat is darker.
One disadvantage to wild game is that the meat can be quite tough and dry, so hanging it is key. In my view, this makes the difference between a good and a great piece of meat. We have our own hanging room in the restaurant so we have total control over the process. We usually hang for around two weeks, so the flavour is strong, but not over the top. Then it is marinated to tenderise it further and to introduce some fat into it before cooking it. By comparison supermarkets tend to sell game that has only been hung for a day or two – so you really may as well buy and cook farmed meat instead.
The age of your game will also make a difference to how it is cooked. Young game requires quick roasting at a high heat. Older game will be tough if you cook it like this and will do better as a pot roast or casserole.
My favourite game birds are wood cock and grouse. For the latter the season is only a couple of weeks long, and this year grouse was very scarce so it has been very difficult to get hold of. I love its dark, rich meat roasted whole with classic trimmings of game crumbs (crumbs cooked in fat), game chips and bread sauce. Wood cock is my favourite though, and we only source this after the first frost has appeared. In the restaurant we serve this with its head and brains intact. For the seasoned game lover, sucking the brains out is a rare delicacy!
Venison is also very popular in the restaurant – a beautifully pure meat. It is lower in calories, cholesterol and fat than beef, but it needs careful cooking to render it succulent. We take venison that is over a year old, and either serve it very rare or in an elegant casserole.
The other wild foods that we get very excited about at this time of the year are mushrooms, which are the perfect accompaniment to game. The good
thing about living in Dublin is that there is a wide choice of places to go and pick mushrooms, and the only cost is time. I usually do my foraging at either. Powerscourt or the Devils Glen in Wicklow and I love getting out early in the morning with my son, Conor, just as the mist is rising.
Many varieties of mushrooms are found here - ceps, girolles and trumpets de la mort. It is vitally important when picking wild Mushrooms to use a reference book and even though I know my mushrooms well, I always do this. On the continent you can drop your mushrooms into the local pharmacy to get them tested to see if they are edible or not. Here the only place to have mushrooms tested is Trinity college and by the time you get them back it is too late to use them!
Of course Autumn is also the truffle season. The smell is magical and I have often thought of making my own fragrance using Truffles. Their aroma appeals to me more than any other smell that I can think of. The cost can be absolutely horrendous - white truffle can cost anything up to 5000 euro a kg but to me is it worth it. You can’t think of the cost - only the taste and the smell. The reason they are so expensive is that the season is only three weeks long and they are very difficult to find.
