Game on: a guide to Britain’s wild birds

Feathered game is a fantastically versatile ingredient and can be used in all sorts of recipes as a tasty substitute for its domesticated counterparts such as the chicken and turkey. Oven-ready game birds (minus the feathers) are widely available from butchers, farm shops, specialist game dealers and supermarkets. The bird can either be kept whole for roasting or jointed into cuts (such as breast fillets and legs) ready for braising, confiting and pan-frying. If it is your first foray into cooking with game birds, Adam suggests starting with ‘something big like a pheasant or a mallard’ and using a ‘trusted recipe from a chef or writer who really knows how to cook game. It is really not that difficult – if you can roast a chicken, you can cook a game bird!’

Whichever way you decide to cook your feathered game, we have put together a comprehensive guide to help you make the most of this marvellous seasonal British produce.

'Heathery' and rich flavoured due to its exclusive diet of heather on the moorlands of northern Britain, grouse is one of the first game birds to become available on 12 August (also known as the ‘Glorious Twelfth’). So-called 'young' grouse are born early in the season and their lean dark meat is more tender and delicately flavoured than that of the 'older' grouse available until late December. This means that the young grouse are more suited to pan-frying or roasting, whereas the older birds require a longer cooking time to give the slightly tougher meat time to soften. The best way to tell the age of your grouse is by spreading out its wings. If the feathers are rounded at the end the grouse is old, whereas if they are pointed then the bird is young. The strong gamey flavour of grouse pairs perfectly with the sweet and sour notes of blackberries as well as seasonal vegetables like beetroot.

There are two types of partridge – red leg and grey leg. Red legs are larger than their grey legged cousins, and were introduced to the UK from Spain and France. Both are in season from 1 September to 1 February, but the native grey partridge (regarded by many as having the superior texture) is harder to come by. Whichever species you try, both birds have delicate meat without a strong gamey flavour. Being a particularly small game bird, one partridge is the perfect size to serve one person as a main course. Indeed, younger birds are delicious when roasted whole and in the pan.

A small wading bird with a long, needle-like beak, the snipe lives in British wetlands and is closely related to the woodcock. They are very small game birds and extremely hard to catch as they fly in a ‘zig-zag’ pattern (which, interestingly, is where the word sniper stems from). Due to their small size snipes they are normally roasted whole, with the beak pierced through the body. Like the woodcock, the innards of the snipe can be left in when cooking, really adding to the flavour of the final dish and are particularly delicious when spread on toast. Available from 12 August through to 31 January, this is a true wild game bird.

Small dabbling ducks, teals are the smallest wild duck species in the UK. The teal is in fact widely revered for its texture and taste, being gamier in flavour than other larger wild duck species including the mallard. As it is only a small bird, teal is suitable served whole as a portion for one person, however those with larger appetites may prefer more. Roasting it whole in the oven is the best way to enjoy this dainty wild duck.