Our trip north to Scotland for the Scottish Game Fair was a resounding success all round. We made new friends, sold a record number of guides and discovered a new paring for game that we thought was delicious. If you haven’t heard of the honeyberry, well, you heard it here first.

On the Sunday of the Scottish Game Fair, held at Scone Palace just outside Perth we shared the demo stage with local game dealer Woodmill Game and they were showcasing a new dish of Partridge Breast with Sherry, Mascarpone and Honeyberries.

It sounded tantalising. We knew this area was famous for its berries in the autumn – especially the farmed Scottish raspberry but we were new to the honeyberry.

According to the Royal Horticultural Society the honeyberry is: “a fruit of forms of the honeysuckle Lonicera caerulea, also known as blue honeysuckle or edible honeysuckle. The fruits are very similar to blueberries in taste and looks, and can be eaten raw or used in jams and jellies. Like blueberries they are high in antioxidants and vitamin C.”

The recipe cooked up by Stephen Wade of Woodmill Game used the berry as a garnish for his roast partridge breast with mascarpone and sherry. This was also accompanied by white rice.

“I was surprised just how delicious these berries were,” said Catherine Farinha. “It just demonstrated to me the versatility of game, in this case partridge, to pair up with unusual and new ingredients. We are learning that game has the capacity to go in new and varied directions and still produce delicious results.”

You can find the recipe here.