‘A Game of Guns’ with Top Chefs at The Prestigious Lady’s Wood Shooting School

The February sun shone on the prestigious Lady’s Wood Shooting School as majestic peacocks called in its beautiful grounds. Sixty top chefs from The Cotswolds and Bath Chefs’ Forum enjoyed a day of clay shooting whilst forging links with their peers, young chefs and aspiring front of house professionals at City of Bath College and Gloucestershire College. Michelin-starred Sam Moody (The Bath Priory) and Michael Stenekes (Calcot Manor) led the students in producing game canapés for an audience of industry experts.
Annette Cole from The British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) gave an educational speech to the culinary experts on sourcing game meat responsibly.

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum commented:
We held this event to showcase the connection between the sport of game shooting and game meat and hopefully increase the use of game meat in the chefs repertoire for next season. It is great that the students learned about the benefits of game meat whilst training to be chefs – They will take this knowledge on into industry with them.”

Hospitality students from City of Bath College and Gloucestershire College joined Sam and Michael in their respective kitchens to prepare game canapés for an audience of top local chefs at Lady’s Wood Shooting School. This was to demonstrate the great skills that they have acquired on their courses with a view to securing apprenticeships to further their career. The Bath Priory and Calcot Manor were delighted with the level of skill and professionalism demonstrated by the hospitality students whilst they were working in their kitchens.

Expert shooting coaches at Lady’s Wood tutored top chefs and catering students in clay pigeon shooting with a view to inviting them to take up shooting as a sport. With further coaching they will then have the necessary skills to shoot their own game meat to incorporate it into their menus.

Game meat is delicious and there are many different species to enjoy and different times of year due to its seasonality – This event showcased its versatility in the various ways it can be prepared.
Annette Cole (BASC) commented:
“It was exciting to see so many of the top chefs from the Cotswold area. It was a great opportunity for me to talk to them about sourcing game responsibly to ensure they have a continued supply of sustainable and quality wild game meat. I also gave them a few tips about when to buy game to make sure they produce great game dishes and improve their bottom line. The Chefs are passionate about their food and cooking and are always keen to learn more about their trade”.