GAME ON

Be it feathered, fin or fur, it's little secret that we actively source game to eat. From Spring onwards fishing takes priority. It has been a good season and we have enjoyed fresh fish continuously throughout the summer. The sea trout season officially ends today and we thankfully have a few tucked away in the freezer. Lobster season started a week ago and although we don't set pots (traps), most of our friends do. Therefore it's usually quite easy to swap some game for a few lobsters. Our attention turns to hunting and our gun dog Scott instinctively knows it's his big weekend of the year. Tomorrow we can let him loose. The past week has seen him sit sentinel beside the front door, watching our every move. On his daily walk with me, which is at least 10 kilometres, he has taken to straining the leash where usually he takes his time to make the event last longer. I have charged the batteries in his GPS collar, washed his high vis vest, polished our gun-boots and roasted a joint of meat for sandwiches. We don't hunt simply for pleasure. Game is a healthy, sustainable alternative to intensively farmed birds and animals. The roe deer, fallow deer, stag, älg (Elk) and wild boar we hunt are completely wild. Unlike the UK, Sweden does not have a plentiful choice of game dealers therefore we are fortunate to have good hunting land with a healthy population of game. We hunt, skin, hang and butcher the meat ourselves. Cooking is pure pleasure with such fresh, natural ingredients. Be it fish, game, wild mushrooms we have foraged, berries we have picked or vegetables we have tended and grown in our garden, our menu is never dull and always healthy and delicious. It fills me with pride and pleasure when family and friends come to visit. Their appetite for game has intensified over the years and it is a gift to share our bounty. Many people ask me how difficult it is to cook with game. There is a myth surrounding it. My only tip would be to invest in a cooking thermometer to ensure the right inner temperature is reached. My larder is stocked with an array of jams, jellies, pickles and preserves. Our dinner table would feel bare without them. As I glance towards the door, I see Scott laying on my boots with my thick socks in his mouth. His eyes searchingly ask is it time. Almost Scott, a few hours and it's game on. #gamehunting #jaktochfisk #roedeerhunting #flyfishing #fieldsports #countrylife #huntingsweden #bohuslän #huntingfishingshooting #sportinglife #emmastrandbergbooks #wildboarhunting #hollandandholland #gamedealers