As winter sets in and our recipe repertoires turn to hearty stews, cosy casseroles and rich flavours, there’s no better time to embrace some beautiful British game. Delivering freshly frozen venison straight to your doorstep, Deer Box is on a mission to make venison more accessible get the UK eating more of this naturally lean, plentiful and deliciously nutritious protein.
Throw away silly ideas of eating Bambi; venison is considered one of the healthiest meats you can eat. High in protein, low in fat, and rich in many vitamins and minerals, it’s incredibly versatile and can be used much in the same way as your favourite beef or lamb.
Deer Box is the vision of Chef, Restaurateur, and Deer Manager Mike Robinson, and one of his principal deer managers, Ben Heath. Venison is harvested directly from the wild, with the team managing around 30,000 acres of land in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Berkshire and harvesting species including fallow, roe and muntjac, with the fallow deer being the most prolific and the mainstay of Mike’s restaurant menus.
Harvested humanely and processed in a purpose built deer larder, one of few in the country, the team follows an incredibly detailed set of rules to ensure the highest quality venison. Vacuum sealed on the day of butchery, it’s frozen within 24 hours ready to make its way to customers.
I recently tried a box, arriving swiftly on my doorstep perfectly packaged with ice packs and wool insulation before heading straight into the freezer while I planned my menus. As well as wild venison they also stock wild boar and a selection of bacon, gammon and charcuterie, though for my first box I stuck with the deer. The venison mince uses all three species blended for an incredibly lean mince that make a brilliant bolognese or cottage pie, it’s so fresh you can even use it for a tartare. I love the pave steaks; taken from the haunch, they are incredibly tender and lean and delicious simply seasoned and fried for a few minutes either side. Their wild diced venison again uses all three species, but is available in two cuts dependent on what you want to use it for; if you’re planning kebabs or dishes with more tender cuts, go for the premium diced, while the casserole diced is taken from the neck and shoulder and is ideal for pies and stews. Finally, the sausages are a really fave, so full of flavour compared to a supermarket porky; once you’ve tried these you’ll never go back.
With stir fry strips, chops, shanks and much more, there’s a cut for everyone no matter your cooking style. Plus with subscription boxes available, it certainly takes the hassle out of your shopping. Try it for yourself at www.deerbox.co.uk, you won’t be disappointed!
