The 12th January 2023 is a day for any game lovers diary. Westminster Kingsway College in London will be putting on the first of their annual game seminars that are open to the public. Attendees can expect a whole day learning about every aspect of game plus a three course game lunch (details below).

Your host for the day is chef Jose Souto who’s been on the staff at Westminster College for close to twenty years and has a refreshing take on game and it has become a passion for him over the years.

He told The Great Game Guide: “We do two game seminars every year. One in January and the next in November. They’re open to anyone and we pack a lot in plus we put on a special three course game lunch. All in it comes to £115. Considering what you learn I think it’s bargain and its always well attended.

In January we’ll spend the morning learning about small game birds and we taken them one by one looking at habitat, diet, provenance, butchery and cooking. It’s really in-depth and you learn the whole story from field to plate. There’s a game bird butchery demo and well before we break for lunch.

In the afternoon we move on to deer species and look at all the main types and got through their whole story of how they are harvested right through the skinning, butchery and onto the plate.

“We’re very lucky here at Westminster Kingsway as we’re the only college in the country that has a dedicated game larder and we have up to 30 carcasses a year to work on which is great for the students.

“Game is a regular on our event dinners too. We’ve just had a special fundraiser for our competition team to raise money for travel and expenses. There were two excellent game dishes on the menu and it went down really well:

• Acorn Fed Tapas Riojanas Pata Negra Jamon Iberico
• Westminster Kingsway cured salmon and pickled cucumber
• Smoked and confit Game Bird Terrine with Apricots and Pistachios, Quince and Apple Chutney
• Mi Cuit Kelp Cured Norwegian Fjord Trout, Samphire, Sauce Nantua
• Roast loin of venison, spiced venison pastilla, burnt apple, pomme rosti, Jerusalem artichoke, pickled wild mushrooms, blackberry jus
• Chocolate Fondant, spiced milk chocolate ganache & mandarin sorbet

One Day Game Seminar

This specialist seminar covers all aspects of small and large game, including background, history, identification, preparation and cooking tips.

Sponsored by Lincolnshire Game, the country’s premier game dealers, and hosted by Westminster Kingsway College Chef Lecturer, leading Game specialist and author of The Game Larder series of books Jose Souto.

The day will comprise:

– Feathered and small furred game: This lecture will look individually at each species of bird and small furred game found in UK, covering classification, recognition, quality points, hanging and butchery.

– Venison: This lecture will cover all species of deer found in the UK and will include a field to table explanation about deer selection and management as well as demonstration on skinning a whole carcass, its butchery into joints and preparing larder trimmed cuts.

– The seminar will cover all of the relevent game theory elements for VRQ and NVQ 3 qualifications, as well as much much more. You will receive a booklet on game preparation and identification by Jose Souto.

Don’t miss out on this popular seminar – one of the only events of its kind in the UK!

Now in its 15th year, this event attracts food experts, professional chefs, amateur cooks as well as anyone that has a passion to discover more about the UK’s Game everyone is welcome.

Westminster Kingsway College offers a range of specialist courses for hospitality professionals from its Victoria Centre in central London.

Game Seminar schedule for the day

Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival. Please await collection from The Vincent Rooms Restaurant.

10.00am
Part 1: Feathered and small furred game

This lecture will cover all UK game birds, looking at their seasons, history best time and ways to prepare and eat as well as a full butchery demonstration on each species.

The session will also feature hares and rabbits, with a butchery demonstration on preparing a whole carcass and individual cooking joints.

12.00pm
3 course lunch in the Vincent Room Restaurant with game supplied by The Lincolnshire Game company on the menu.

1.30pm
Part 2: Venison

This lecture will cover all six species of deer found in the UK (two indigenous and four non-indigenous), looking at the seasons for each species, and the difference in their meat and appearance, as well as a full description and story of the carcases from selection, to harvest and full field preparation. This session will also feature a demonstration on skinning a carcass and breaking it down into its major joints, cuts and portions used by chefs.

3.45pm
Summing up of day and finish.

TO BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW Call: 020 7802 8391 Email: Restaurant@westking.ac.uk

Date: Thursday 12 January 2023

Cost: £115 per person, including three course game lunch. There is a 10% discount for groups of 5 or more.

Location: Vincent Rooms, Westminster Kingsway College, Victoria Centre, Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PD