3 minute read
Producer Pro le
Meet the Producer: Wild Welsh Meat
For this edition of Meet the Producer, we talk to Izzy Hosking. From a passion and love for shooting and hunting, Izzy has grown Wild Welsh Meat to encompass both Pennant Valley Game (on Llechweddygarth Estate in the picturesque Mid Wales countryside) and Izzy's Butchers (a traditional village Butchers shop in the nearby village of Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant). We sat down with Izzy to discuss the ins and outs of game, its unique selling points, and its future sustainability.
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How did you first get involved in the game industry?
I have always been passionate about the countryside and the way of country life ever since being a young kid. When I left school, I studied Gamekeeping at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire and then went on to working as a full time Gamekeeper, a career that brought me to Wales from my native Oxfordshire.
Can you tell me more about Wild Welsh Meat?
Wild Welsh Meat started as a small cottage industry, supplying quality Pheasant products to the clients shooting on the estate. I also started to attend local farmers markets, where it was soon apparent that there was a huge void in supply, but an equal demand for quality well-presented Game. I was at the time, the only business processing game in Wales. Now in my 10th year, things have progressed significantly, I now own my local butchers shop – “Izzy’s Butchers” in Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant, Powys. Here we supply all traditional meats but sticking to my roots I offer as much Game as possible. I also still attend the Farmers Markets to sell the Game that I cut my teeth on.
What different types of game meat are out there?
Pheasant is one of the widely available Game meats, a recent marketing push has now got it onto supermarket shelves regularly. Venison is also one of the more recognised Game meats, again becoming more readily available. Partridge and Pigeon are both gaining in popularity, partly due to TV chefs selling the virtues of Game. Rabbit is a hugely underrated protein and food source, I hear anecdotes of plague proportions in some areas, yet rarely see it offered for sale.
Why should consumers consider eating game meat?
Game meat should be eaten more in this country, it is a food source that compared to traditional meats provides more protein, yet less cholesterol and less fat. There are many different flavours to discover within the bracket of “Game” Venison for example, there are 6 different species of Wild Deer, all have a completely different flavour. The same can be said for Game birds.
Pheasant is one type that is seen in abundance across Wales - tell us a little more about what makes this meat so tasty?
Pheasant Shooting is a huge part of our community, it provides a lot of jobs and economic benefit in our local area. It also provides us with a great food source on our doorstep. The Pheasants are free ranging to forage on wild food, but are also fed on Wheat and Maize. This free lifestyle and abundance of feed, ensures a well-developed taste. It is such a versatile meat, it can take on really strong flavours, or can be cooked simply to enjoy as it is.
Why is game meat such as pheasant increasingly being seen as a good local, healthy and sustainable choice?
Game should be recognised as a healthy, sustainable meal option. Our pheasants and Partridge we produce have low food miles, 5 to be exact – the distance from the shoot to my shop. How much more local to your supply can you be? Venison, Rabbits and Pigeons are all harvested when there is a surplus population, more often than not controlled when they are damaging crops for human consumption. So what can be more sustainable than that?
Where would someone buy game from?
Game meat should for all the reasons above, be available and affordable for everybody. We offer a wide range of Game products in the Butchers shop and also sell online. We sell a selection of traditional cuts, but also more innovative, easy cook products such as Pheasant sausages and kievs. I feel that it is important to offer these types of choices, as it is a very good way of introducing people to game, who otherwise would be scared to cook it.
Your local Butchers or Farmers markets would be worth checking out to see if there is anybody selling local game.
