August in The Farm Table

Despite being the height of summer, August is when our farm & kitchen’s rhythm subtly changes. The glut of vibrant summer vegetables; beans, courgettes, tomatoes – still dominates, but the first signs of autumn begin to creep in. We’re picking wild blackberries for crumbles & compotes, and our hedgerows are thick with elderberries which become syrups or shrubs for our ever-changing cocktail menu.

This month we’re particularly excited to showcase venison from Powderham Estate, just over the river from here. These are parkland deer & the best you’ll get anywhere. They graze freely on a varied, semi-wild diet but are culled at optimum eating age, as opposed to wild deer which are generally culled when too mature. This, combined with less stress, results in much superior flavour & texture when eating. In our recipe, Tom has suggested grilling the loin & serving with garlicy French or runner beans and a slathering of gooseberry & mustard chutney. If you’re cooking venison at home, think of pairing it with late summer vegetables like beetroot, and fruits such as blackberries, damson & cherries for sauce – super seasonal & so delicious.

On the subject of game, keep your eyes peeled for the ‘Glorious 12^th’ this month – the date which marks the beginning of Grouse season. While delicious, grouse is very hard to come by these days due to consecutive disastrous seasons & declining populations. Either way, eating game is probably the most sustainable way of eating meat & incredibly nutritious. It may feel counterintuitive in August, but give it a go!

Ingredients

400g of trimmed Venison loin,
100g of French beans
200g of runner beans
3x white onions
6x cloves of garlic chopped
600g gooseberries
300g cider vinegar
300ml Sandford Orchard The General cider
400g jam sugar
Salt
Black pepper
Rosemary
2 bay leaves
Oil

Method

To make the chutney, dice the white onion, chop 3 of the garlic cloves, wash the gooseberries. Add a bit of oil to a large sauce pan, and add the onion, garlic and gooseberries, gently sweat these for five minutes over a low heat.
Then add in the cider vinegar, cider and sugar, along with the bay and chopped rosemary (or dried rosemary) and reduce down for 20-30 minutes, then add in the whole grain mustard and season to taste. If you are happy with the consistency, take the chutney off and allow to cool.
Wash and trim the French and runner beans, cut down the runners in to large slices, in to a warm frying pan with a dash of oil fry the beans for about a minute or 2 till they start to soften, then add the 3 chopped garlic cloves, a pinch of salt and put to one side.
To grill the venison, heat up a griddle pan or bbq, oil and salt the venison, grill for a minute a side aiming for a core temp of 34oc then allow to rest for 5-10 min. cut in to slices and serve with the garlic beans and mustard chutney.

Darts Farm

August in The Farm Table

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