Shooting Grouse on the Glorious Twelfth
The day the grouse shooting season begins
Today marks the start of the grouse shooting season, better known in shooting circles as the ‘glorious twelfth’ when these fine birds will be shot and sold to those restaurants that are prepared to pay the high prices they command, particularly in the early part of the season.
There is no doubt that grouse is a fine eating bird but I can certainly wait a while for the price to drop (and the flavour to develop) Late September to early October is about the best time for grouse, if you are fortunate to get your hands on a freshly shot bird then leave it to hang for four days, any longer and they lose their delicate taste and become too strong.
I’ve cooked game birds for years and have tried countless methods and flavour combinations but with grouse I can think of nothing better than the classic garnish of crisp bacon,freshly cooked game chips and a healthy dollop of bread sauce and/or redcurrant jelly.
Grouse is best cooked with a generous rub of butter or goose fat with a layer of streaky bacon around it, drop a couple of juniper berries, a clove of garlic and a sprig of thyme in the cavity and roast for about twenty minutes in a hot oven.
Leave to rest whilst you get the veg ready and open a bottle of burgundy…actually, open the burgundy first and then think about cooking something!