Venison featured in the feasts of the Royals and aristocrats when The New Forest was established as a royal hunting ground by William The Conqueror.
Today, venison is a much more accessible meat – and one which David West from Sway Butchers in the New Forest is encouraging us all to enjoy as a healthy, sustainable, great value, and delicious dinner option.
Having been a butcher for more than four decades, David explains that the general public has a misconception that venison is strong in flavour, and very expensive.
“Venison is fact tender and delicious and because we don’t hang the carcass for more than 24 hours, the meat has a fresh, slightly earthy taste which isn’t gamey at all.”
Value for money
As for the cost, Sway Butchers sits in the New Forest National Park where Roe and Fallow Deer are both plentiful, so this supply of fresh local venison makes for great value for money.
Casserole and minced venison is £4 per kg, less expensive than comparable beef cuts, and venison fillet is less than half the price of beef fillet.
Healthy
Venison is a healthy option too, especially in comparison to other red meats:
- High in protein
- A lean meat low in calories
- Full of vitamin B
- Lower in saturated fats
- High in zinc
- A great source of iron
Sustainable
Local venison has the benefit of being sustainably sourced – it’s organic, free range, naturally plentiful, and involves few food miles to bring it to the table.
Population control
Deer are destructive. They cause massive damage to crops and woodland, and countless accidents on our roads. They have no natural predator in the UK. In the New Forest, numbers are proactively managed to maintain ecological balance and to prevent over-population, disease and malnutrition.
It makes so much sense for us all to enjoy more venison in all its forms. Give it a try and support your local shops and producers.
Sway Butchers
The Sway Butchers Shop sits in the New Forest village of Sway, three miles north of Lymington.
It’s a family business run by sixth-generation Master Butcher David West. Originally from North London, where his grandfather, father and uncles all had butchers shops, David arrived in Sway in the hot summer of 1976. Over the last 40 years, his shop has become synonymous with quality meats and delicious butcher’s kitchen products.
You can buy venison online from Sway Butchers. Go to their website and search for venison.
Venison Wellington recipe from Test Valley Venison
Test Valley Venison sustainably harvests deer from local estates and farms, and processes and sells wild venison from their family-run local food business.
From field to fork, they manage the whole process to provide premium venison with low food miles and minimal environmental impact.
Here is a spectacular recipe from them for Venison Wellington.
