Who will be featuring grouse on their menu?

Getting shot grouse onto restaurant menus began in earnest yesterday as the first shots on English and Scottish moorlands ushered in the new shooting season. But who are the chefs who will be the beneficiaries of today’s game harvest?

Traditionally chefs such as John Williams at The Ritz are keen to get their hands on the warm grouse having had them rushed down from Yorkshire. However, a number of leading chefs are not keen on grouse on the 12th and are happy to wait a few days, or weeks, to put the famous dish on the menu.

One of those is Northcote’s Lisa Goodwin Allen who talked to The Great Game Guide about what she loved the most about the glorious 12th.

“Oh, it’s the anticipation,” she said. “The 12th is not just about grouse. It’s about the beginnings of the shooting season, the first game of the year – if you don’t count venison – and the promise of what is coming later in August.

“Personally, I love grouse but I don’t want it on the 12th. It’s too much of a rush and it’s expensive. I prefer to wait and I serve it at Northcote with blackberries and currants which go really well with the young birds.

“We will obviously have it on the menu at The Stafford as well. I’m not sure when but Jozef and the kitchen team will be excited, too.”

Are you looking forward to the game season? What’s your favourite and how do you cook it? Let us know and we’ll feature it on the website.