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THE SHOOTING PARTY LUNCH: THEN & NOW

Recently I read something that took me back to the early 1900’s and a time when stately homes would be preparing for their great outdoor shooting parties. Oh how it must have been… Life was clearly one big social for the gentry! Imagine…

…All at once, several excited guests require attention from the footmen and butler to ensure they are appropriately dressed for the outing due to take place: Pheasant and partridge season is upon them. Meanwhile, the housemaids are getting the bedrooms ready, and the kitchen is a hive of activity preparing the sumptuous feast they’ll come home to.

While the centre of a Victorian/Edwardian shooting party was usually the field sport itself, the extravagance and presentation of the shoot dinners and accompanying entertainment for guests, was often how the weekend was defined and recorded.

BUT WHAT OF TODAY?

Are times really so different? Yes. Far from the occasion it once was, instead of staying over endlessly, most Guns (that’s those shooting) are pleased to partake of a delicious shoot dinner –without the cigars – and be on their way.

Present day shooting parties are usually catered for, yes with style, but not nearly such epic form; some even known to be as simple as a flask of soup served from the Land Rover’s bonnet!

Tom Robinson a Scottish shooter from Mull tells Eden of his perfect shooting lunch experience. “Ideally, the lunch shouldn’t be over the top but neither should it be understated. In winter, shooting here, we enjoy a good hot dish such as a venison shepherd’s pie with leeks and cheese on top, followed by a steaming apple and blackcurrant crumble. We would then eat Stilton alongside ginger pudding, and drink damson gin. In warmer weather, we eat cold meats, smoked trout, and perhaps crab. Then summer pudding and mature cheddar see us through. Not forgetting the flask of bullshot.” (This is a hot drink that consists of equal parts vodka and consommé).

Many believe the shoot lunch ought to strike at the heart of what the sport is about – spending time socialising with friends, and enjoying fine fare. Don’t know where to start? Why not let Eden provide the staff for your shooting party? We can lend skilled chefs and cooks that come with expert knowledge of sporting country life.

If you are planning the event yourself, and are wondering what to serve, the general consensus would be to offer a main, a pudding and/or cheese.

The website Shootinguk.co.uk states that it is unusual to be served game, but that in general, erring on the side of comfort food is the key. In general stews and pies with a wide range of vegetable side dishes are recommended. As with many things in life it is the small things that make such a difference. A well-laid table with beautiful glassware, an unusual range of wines and the finest condiments mark out a special lunch. The most important element when planning such a lunch is making sure that any food issues are known to the chef long before the meal is planned.

Meanwhile, we believe ideas for a tasty shoot lunch include:

MAINS

Chicken and mushroom Fricassee

Beef shin stew with Parmesan dumplings

Creamy chicken, leek, bacon and thyme pie

Super Sausage Casserole

Chilli con carne

Roasts

PUDDINGS

Blackberry and Apple Soufflé

Blackcurrant and Apple crumble

Bread and butter pudding

Baked lemon & vanilla rice pudding

Eve’s pudding

Treacle Sponge pudding

September 27, 2017

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