Staggeringly Good: Raising The Profile of Venison in Scotland

Thrill of the Hill returns for season 5, with an exciting line-up on new and returning guest speakers and specialists in their fields and on their hills.

Venison, an underappreciated meat in Scotland? Despite the abundance of deer in Scotland, farmed and wild, venison has never been a staple of the Scottish diet, certainly not in the same way as beef or lamb. Scottish Government reports that the amount of farmed venison in Scotland increased by around 4.9% on the last five year average, making up 16,000 animals. That figure might sound impressive, but the Venison Advisory Service suggests that accounts for only 3% of national production, with the remainder coming from wild venison. Scottish Government reports that around 3,500 tonnes of wild venison is produced in Scotland each year and The Times suggest that around two thirds of that is used in the domestic and wider UK markets. But with such plentiful supplies of venison on our hills, could we be making more of it? In this episode Anona Gow discusses the virtues of venison, its nutritional value, cooking options, perception of the sector and reflects on her new book, The Venison Kitchen.

Want to get in touch with Anona? She can be contacted at The Venison Kitchen via email enquiries at [e-mail]

Related FAS Resources

https://www.fas.scot/publication/podcast-the-thrill-of-the-hill-deer-farming-management/

https://www.fas.scot/publication/thinning-herds-thicken-forests/

Related External Resources

The Venison Kitchen by Anona Gow Cook Book

Events — Pitscandly Farm Venison Events and Farmers Markets