Today (12 August) marks the start of the UK’s grouse season – also known as the ‘Glorious Twelfth’. There is little cause for celebration, however, as the early shots are not expected to produce many birds. This means that prices are likely to be prohibitively high for many restaurants early in the season when grouse are most sought after by diners.
A number of factors have contributed to the high mortality rate of capercaillie this year, including very wet weather earlier in the year, a parasite that destroys bird eggs and a heath beetle that robs the birds of their main food source.
The price for young spring-born grouse is expected to be over £25 per bird at the start of the season, an increase of almost 40 per cent on the previous season when young grouse sold for around £18.
Old grouse, born the previous year or even earlier, are less expensive but are not quite as valued by chefs.
Gary Foulkes, head chef at the recently opened Belgravia restaurant Cornus, says he will not be putting grouse on his menu this year after his game supplier told him to “make the effort” and said prices were more than double last year’s.
“We will wait and see how things develop, but it does not look good,” he says.
“The prices I’ve been quoted would mean a menu price of up to £70. This is less of a problem at the gentlemen’s clubs that offer grouse early in the season because people just pay for it, but for a restaurant like Cornus, this is too much.”
A national matter
Most of the grouse consumed in London comes from Cumbria, Yorkshire and Scotland. Chefs living near hunting grounds will probably find it easier to source supplies as they can work directly with hunters and plantations. However, shortages will still occur.
Although the Mýse restaurant is much closer to the source, it is unlikely that the wildfowl will make it onto its menu this year due to a lack of supply.
“I’ve heard from some local shooters that things aren’t going well this year, and my butcher confirmed that just recently,” he says.
“It’s a real shame we didn’t put grouse on the menu last year because we didn’t have many people in the kitchen and it can be a lot of work.”
“It looks like it’s going to be prohibitively expensive, but more importantly, I don’t want to use anything that’s not sustainable, especially when there are other delicious but less sought-after game birds we can use later in the season, like mallards, woodcocks and teals.”
“It’s a shame though because grouse have a unique flavour and we like to showcase local produce. And nothing is more Yorkshire than Yorkshire grouse.”
A game of patience
Grouse season typically lasts until the end of November and many restaurants do not put grouse on their menus until later in the season, preferring to wait until prices have stabilised and the birds have time to linger.
Mark Kempson, chef and owner of Kitchen W8, who was named Wild Chef of the Year at the Eat Game Awards earlier this year, says he wants to serve grouse later this year but is concerned about the cost.
“My game dealer told me to expect to pay around £15 per bird. Last year we paid just under £10 per bird, so that’s a big jump,” says Kempson.
“Last year we charged £40 for our grouse dish. It would break my heart to charge £70 for it, so we’ve worked hard to keep the price down by creating a more affordable but still absolutely delicious dish. We want to keep the restaurant as accessible as possible.”
The Michelin-starred Kensington restaurant’s grouse dish is expected to cost £52. The bird’s legs and innards are mixed with lardo to make a grouse sausage, which is served with roasted breast, grilled celeriac, damson cheese and cavolo nero.
Kempson is confident he can meet customer demand, but expects the season to be much shorter this year.
Inventory management
Due to the wild nature of the grouse, the bird population needs to be carefully managed, which could also impact the number of grouse available this season and the following season.
“Grouse are not like pheasants or partridges, which are farmed by the millions during hunting season,” says Ric Smith, sales manager for Ritter Fresh, an ingredient company that supplies grouse to restaurants across the country.
“Part of their appeal is that the grouse is a completely wild bird. The main issue here is managing the population for next year. If too many are shot, next year will be bad too.”
“The birds shot are probably consumed by the shooters who pay large sums for the shooting at the beginning of the season,”
Smith adds that while the current situation regarding grouse supply is not rosy, there is still reason for optimism.
“Even if it doesn’t look like a great season, things usually improve towards the middle of the season.”
