Pub Chef Opinion: Get some game on your pub menu this winter

I’d recommend anyone to make the most of the game larder, as it can be used in a huge variety of ways, from the creative and unusual, such as curried snipe, through simple roast game birds in more traditional dishes such as coq au vin but using pheasant or guinea fowl instead.

First on the menu is the young grouse, which we normally get on the Pipe and Glass menu on the 13th. They come at a price, though!

In the first couple of weeks, we simply roast the bird and serve it traditionally garnished with bread sauce, game chips, redcurrants, watercress, fried breadcrumbs and a croûte of the livers. Grouse is not to everyone’s taste — it’s a strong tasting game bird — but I encourage people to try it. As the season moves on and the birds get a little older we use it for potting and serve it as part of a plate of game.

At the start of September the very popular red-legged partridge starts to appear on the menu. This is by far the most popular game bird that we sell. We serve it roasted with parsnip dauphinoise, smoky bacon fritters and a sauce of mulled elderberries that have been foraged from nearby trees.

As we head into November, pheasant are abundant. Pheasant can be dry: the secret is to keep it moist. I braise it in local cider, or make a chestnut and sage forcemeat from the leg meat, stuff it under the skin, wrap it in caul fat, then cook it sous vide. Finish by pan roasting it and serve it with crispy black pudding and baked apple.

Throughout the rest of the season the occasional woodcock, snipe, teal and widgeon all make an appearance or two on the specials board.

Rabbits and hares are sometimes brought to the kitchen door by a few local lads and a bit of bartering takes place — which is always good for the GP. I use them in a variety of ways: rabbit rissoles with cockles, caper and wood sorrel, or little hare and juniper pasties as a starter with a pickled girolle mushroom salad.

Deer features on the menu regularly. We use the whole animal: the haunch cut for braises and stews, whereas the loin I remove from the saddle and simply pan fry in butter for a few minutes and rest before serving.

I would highly recommend you try some game on your menu this winter — the punters love it.

• James Mackenzie is chef-proprietor of the Pipe and Glass Inn, South Dalton, East Yorkshire​