1. Monthly theme
Simon Berry, tenant at Marston’s Gardeners Arms in Droitwich, Worcestershire, finds that his monthly menu theme boosts interest and builds loyalty. “Customers like to know they’ll receive consistent high quality and local sourcing and look forward to different dishes,” he says. “Our August theme is game, including duck, and a venison version of our special Droitwich sausage, made with Jennings’ Cumberland Ale.” Berry makes sure customers know what to expect by emailing his database and advertising his menu themes on Facebook and the press. “Our themes showcase our chefs’ skills, and provide an excellent opportunity to publicise other attractions,” he says.
2. Healthy option
“Last year’s game season was so successful that we’re now offering our game menu annually, from 12 August to 1 February,” explains David Jones, head chef at Punch lease the Rigbye Arms in Wigan, Lancashire. The pub’s new Feather & Fin restaurant highlights the popularity of game as a healthy option. “Game is increasingly considered a wholesome alternative to intensively bred domestic livestock. It comes from lean, healthy, free-range animals, low in fat and cholesterol,” says Jones, who is “passionate” about cooking, fishing and shooting. “We’re close to several game-shoot estates and offer value for money as there’s no waste — we use offal for terrine and even supply feathers to a chap who makes his own fishing flies.”
3. Captive audience
Buzz Cousins got to know his Hampshire forager, who’s known as Chalky, as a customer, when Cousins ran the King’s Head in Wickham two years ago. “Chalky supplies us with all our game — in season we see him once a week,” says Cousins, who manages S&NPC lease the Black Lion in Hammersmith, west London. “Chalky’s pheasant, rabbit and trout are top quality. We hang the pheasants outside when the temperature’s right – they bring pedestrians and traffic to a halt. “We cook it simply and serve it like posh chicken and chips, with great stock. The chips are triple-cooked and half a pheasant is a great deal for £9.”
4. Bang on target
Chef Francis Denford at freehold the Springer Spaniel in Treburley, near Launceston, Cornwall, specialises in wild game. “We’re fortunate to have reliable locals who shoot deer, rabbits and pheasants safely and accurately. One very skilled chap trains the others, and they’re all registered with DEFRA. The way the shooting is carried out is critical to the condition of the meat,” explains Denford. “It only costs me about a fifth of the usual price: I skin and hang it myself and a colleague incinerates the skins, so we save money at every step. We’re well known in the area for our venison steamed puddings, made with wild mushrooms, thyme, sage and red wine (£10).”
5. Care to share
Sharing is the name of the game for Stephen Gadd, head chef at private leasehold the Rookery, Clapham, south London. His rabbit & smoked bacon sharing pie with a suet crust and English greens appeals to hungry commuters. At £25 for two people, £37.50 for three, or £50 for four, Gadd says the pie matches well with Truman’s Runner ale, or Sola Fred, an earthy red wine from Montsant, Catalonia. “Our excellent Yorkshire butcher sources our fresh, robust rabbit from an estate in Swaledale and home-smokes our bacon. I adapt our menu according to his product availability. The traditional moist suet crust complements the meat perfectly and the pie is economical because we include the offal.”
6. Going fast
Enterprise Inns’ the Black Swan, in York, is famous for its squirrel pie, and the pub’s customers are also fond of its pigeon pie, says head chef Maggie Anderton. “Not many pubs offer squirrel, so it’s attracted lots of interest. It isn’t easy to get hold of, but we’ve found a Northumbrian supplier who sends us frozen squirrels. We order as many as possible and use two per portion. It goes well with Hobgoblin or Old Peculier so we often use those ales in our squirrel pie for £12.95.”
7. Never bored
Wild boar is always available at the Ringsfield Horseshoes, in Beccles, Suffolk, thanks to a partnership between chef-proprietor Daniel Wong and a local farmer who was looking for something new to develop as a hobby. “We knew wild boar would go down well so we decided to breed it on farmland across the road from the pub,” explains Wong. “Bacon, sausages and roast suckling boarlet are all on our menu. The boarlet is particularly popular at our local country fair in August, where we run the bar in a marquee and sell filled rolls for around £4. It’s a great match for ale from local breweries such as Grain Brewery at Harleston.”