Wild British game is a great choice for a January health kick because it's naturally leaner and higher in protein than farmed meat, and is sustainably produced with little environmental impact.

That's why growing numbers of people are switching to game as part of a diet or healthy eating plan. Another important reason is that wild game is typically much more flavoursome and interesting than farmed meat, due to the fact that game animals are free to roam and enjoy a natural, varied diet.

Game specialist Wild and Game's popular annual January healthy eating recipe box will be available at www.wildandgame.co.uk from January 1 2023. It contains seven low fat recipes and all the game needed to cook them.

Recipes include: chilli partridge with peanut noodles, creamy Nordic venison with skinny mash, grilled lemon pheasant with fusilli, Uzbek plov (a type of pilaf that's an absolute doddle to make and tastes amazing), pheasant lemon tikka chapattis, Mongolian venison rice bowls, and peppered venison steaks with roasted vegetables.

The recipe box costs £49.99 or £44.99 if you subscribe to monthly boxes.

Wild and Game co-founder Steven Frampton said:

“We can't believe how quickly our January healthy eating box has come around again. It's been a jam-packed year in which we hit some major milestones, including raising £500,000 in our first ever crowdfunder and moving to your very own distribution centre in the West Country. We've also launched plenty of new products, including our new game ready meals, which are also an excellent option for anyone who is counting their calories. Our January healthy eating box is always a popular choice, and it really demonstrates what a versatile, healthy ingredient game is – it's not just about winter stews and pies. We hope our customers love these new recipes as much as we do.”

Sample recipes:

Uzbek venison plov

Feeds 4-6

Ingredients

500g diced venison

Vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 ½ tsp cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

500ml beef stock

A whole head of garlic, end cut off to expose cloves

2 bay leaves

Salt

500g basmati rice

Parsley to serve (optional).

Method

1.    Heat a glug or two of vegetable oil in a large, shallow, lidded pan and fry the onion and carrot until starting to soften.

2.    Add the venison and brown.

3.    Add the cumin and chilli powder and cook for 30 seconds.

4.    Add the stock and garlic.

5.    Heat until bubbling then simmer very gently for 2 hours.

6.    Add the rice, a couple of generous pinches of salt, the bay leaves and enough water to cover the rice by 2cm.

7.    Heat until bubbling then turn the heat down low and simmer very gently with the lid on for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

8.    Switch off the heat and leave with the lid on for 10 minutes.

9.    Serve sprinkled with parsley, if using.

Peppered venison steak with roasted vegetables

Feeds 2

Ingredients

2 venison steaks

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 red pepper, sliced

1 courgette, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

4-6 generously sized new potatoes

2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes

A few sprigs of rosemary

4 tbsp olive oil for the vegetables

2 tbsp olive oil for the potatoes

Salt and pepper

Method

1.    Pre-heat your oven to 200C/190C fan/gas mark 6.

2.    Place each potato between the handles of two wooden spoons and slice finely, with the spoon handles stopping you from slicing through the whole potato.

3.    Remove the steaks from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

4.    Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and spoon over the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, a clove of crushed garlic, and a little rosemary.

5.    Bake the potatoes for 20 minutes.

6.    Put the vegetables into a roasting tin along with the olive oil, rosemary, remaining garlic and a little salt and pepper. Toss until covered with the oil.

7.    Roast the vegetables (and continue to roast the potatoes) in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Keep an eye on the vegetables and the potatoes and remove when done.

8.    Meanwhile, lightly oil a griddle pan and cook the steaks for 2-3 minutes each side on high heat and 4 minutes each side on a low heat. As they cook, grind on a generous amount of black pepper and sprinkle on a few pinches of sea salt. When done to your liking, rest for 5 minutes.

9.    Serve the steaks with the potatoes and vegetables.

Notes to editors

• Founded in 2017, Wild and Game sells a wide range of ready to cook game, pies, pasties, charcuterie and ready meals from its website and from selected independent food shops and supermarkets in the UK.
• Wild and Game started life in Bristol and recently moved to its own distribution centre in Somerset.
• The Wild and Game website is at www.wildandgame.co.uk
• For interviews, information and more images, please reply to this email, email jenny@eloquent.buzz or call Jenny White on 07854101030.

ENDS

Editors notes

Back in 2017 our founders Steven Frampton and Michael Cannon, both wild game enthusiasts, decided to do something about the under-consumption of game in the UK. While our countryside yields an abundant supply of beautiful game meat, the traditions of cooking with it had largely been lost. Steven and Michael saw an opportunity to ignite a new passion for game while helping to cut reliance on imported and intensively farmed meat. They also wanted to encourage guardianship of our countryside and promote a healthier way of eating. Wild and Game began with a selection of hearty favourites including pies, pasties and sausages, as well as ready-to-cook meats and restaurant-quality ready meals designed to woo customers who felt timid about cooking with game themselves. The concept worked, with many people being inspired to try game for the first time and going on to become regular customers. As our customer base grows, so does our offering: responding to demand, we have added the highest quality, responsibly reared British lamb, pork and beef to our range, plus some of the finest British cheeses, delectable game charcuterie, award winning cold game pies, chutneys, and more. Our commitment to helping you enjoy game at its best means we're continually adding wonderful game recipes to our website. These range from traditional favourites to imaginative dishes with international flavours. If you want to come along for the ride, try our monthly recipe boxes which will add new recipes to your repertoire every month. Our adventure with wild game continues, and we hope you'll join us in embracing this lean, healthy, sustainable and delicious source of meat from our fields and forests.