4 Reasons Why You Should Eat More Wild Venison
It’s one of our healthiest and most sustainable meats, yet many people believe venison to be ‘niche’ or ‘old-fashioned’. Here’s four great reasons why we think you could be game to eat more wild venison:
It’s Really Tasty
Our first reason for eating wild venison is that simple – the meat tastes fantastic. Venison has a bit of a reputation for being ‘gamey’, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Meat tastes gamey when it has been hung for days, which is why we hang our venison for a much shorter time, so it tastes much fresher. It’s a very similar taste to beef.
It’s a Healthy Protein Source
Wild venison is harvested from animals who have been allowed to roam freely, and therefore is an incredibly lean meat. The little fat it contains is full of Omega-3 fatty acids, while the meat has a higher iron and vitamin B content than beef.
What’s more, venison also contains a healthy source of complex proteins that is more customarily found in fish and vegetables.
It Helps the Environment
Our ecosystems consist of a web of relationships between predators and their prey. Before humans altered the UK’s natural environment, deer would have been preyed upon by lynxes and wolves. These days, they have no natural predators. This has caused deer populations to rise exponentially; especially during the pandemic, with fewer people going out hunting.
Why is this a problem? Firstly, if population density becomes too high, there is competition for resources and diseases can spread more rapidly through a herd.
Secondly, because deer eat – a lot. According to the Forestry Commission, they cause around £4.5 million of damage a year to plantations and other commercial woodlands, as well as £4.3 million of damage a year to crops.
The idea of deer culling is a contentious topic, with some people suggesting that fences should be used as a method of control in the first instance.
However, a lot of prominent conservationists, ecologists and scientists (from the Forestry Commission to The British Deer Society) advocate for highly localised culls in areas where rising deer populations are causing problems.
It's Locally Sourced
We all know how important it is to buy and eat local produce – not only does it help out the businesses in our communities, it results in fewer food miles and consequently, a smaller carbon footprint #eatwild