Venison

Venison is a wonderful meat, healthy and locally sourced and yet few people make it part of their regular diet, which is a shame as it is really underrated. The wild deer population is probably higher than it has ever been, so there is plenty of wild venison available. The population has grown because of the extinction of deer’s predators, such as wolves, lynx and bears, from the UK countryside.

Table Talk: The meat from deer is called venison and comes from the Latin word ‘venari’, meaning ‘to hunt’. This term entered the English language through the Norman French word ‘venaison’ in the 11th century, following the Norman conquest of England and the establishment of Royal Forests.

Venison is very lean, being low in fat and thus calories with a typical carcass content ranging from 3%-5% fat. This compares to most farmed animals having a fat content of up to 20%.

As a result of its lack of fat, care has to be taken when cooking it to ensure it doesn’t dry out as it has no natural fat to ‘baste’ it and make it succulent.

Many people believe it is also a meat that helps the environment and reducing carbon footprint. Wild venison has a significantly lower carbon footprint when compared to farmed meats and managing the growing deer population is often thought of as crucial.

The Cook Venison website claims there are 7 benefits of eating venison, including it being:

• A high quality protein source
• Lean
• Helps prevent anaemia
• Good for the immune system
• Good for muscle growth
• Good for brain function
• Environmentally friendly
• Sustainable

The Woodland Trust podcast – Woodland Walks, also regularly talks how too many deer are hurting woodland and how the numbers have to be controlled and how eating venison can be a great way of eating healthily and doing so in an environmentally friendly way.