Contrary to popular belief, grouse is not an exclusive meat.  The public perception that it is only to be enjoyed by those weilding a 12-bore shot gun on a Yorkshire grouse moor or patrons of high-end restaurants, could not be more wrong.

Currently, despite around 350,000 grouse being claimed during the shooting season, many of the birds go overseas due to the mis-conception in the UK of it being expensive and difficult to get hold of.  The reality is that in Scotland and Northern England nothing could be more closely termed as 'local' produce.  For those who live further South there are home-delivery services and butchers with game licenses, who are all willing and able to distribute grouse to the masses.  One would be best advised not to become embroiled in the competition of serving the first grouse of the season but to wait a little bit, as the price should fall quite quickly from around £10.00 a brace to £6.00.

The red grouse is a truly wild game bird found only in the British Isles.  It is impossible to rear them in captivity, so they owe their existence to the carefully managed 459 grouse moors in the north of England and Scotland.  As a result of their partiality for the colder climate, the red grouse is the only gamebird to have feathers on its legs and feet to protect it from the snow. Tens of thousands of grouse will be shot over the next few weeks when the grouse season starts with a bang on the 'Glorious Twelfth' August.  It ends on 10 December in mainland Britain or 30 November in Northern Ireland.

The diet of the red grouse comprises 95 per cent heather, providing it's dark flesh with a rich and unique flavour that is high in protein and low in fat. Old grouse make excellent vegetable and lentil casseroles, which have the added bonus of being a meal in one pot. Young grouse should be hung for three to five days until they drop off their hook and are best enjoyed roasted.  A grouse roasts like a chicken.  Many like to roast it for a mere twelve minutes in a hot oven, leaving it to stand for five minutes and devouring it rare.  When roasting, put on a breast protector of bacon and if you feel inclined you can wrap it in vine leaves.  Brush inside and outside the bird with butter before cooking.  For a traditional roast grouse recipe, place slices of lightly browned toast under the bird, once the cooking is done, to catch the dripping.  Serve with the toast, some bread sauce, game chips and watercress, topped with gravy made from the bones of the neck  and a glass of red wine.  An alternative way to make a delicious gravy is to stuff the grouse with rowan berries or wild raspberries.  The fruit melts away but leaves a delicous jus.

So when you are considering what to cook over the inevitably rain-soaked August Bank Holiday, what better British meal to serve than some roasted grouse and game chips.  Delicious, nutritious and British.

The following offer a grouse home-delivery service:
Weatherall Foods Ltd. [click here] Tel: 01387 730326
Teesdale Game [click here] Tel: 01833 637153
Game To Eat have a brilliant directory on their website where you can search for a local game supplier anywhere from a ten to one hundred mile radius [click here]

For more information from Love British Food on game, whether you are a retailer or consumer [click here]

For a Roast Grouse recipe [click here]