From Forest to Fork - How We Source Our Wild Game

One of the questions I get asked most is "Where does the meat come from?" It is a fair question. In a world of dodgy supply chains and misleading labels, knowing where your food comes from matters. So let me give you the honest answer.

I hold a DSC1 deer stalking qualification. That means I am legally certified to stalk and shoot wild deer in the UK. I do not just buy game from a wholesaler - I hunt it. Not all of it, obviously. When we are catering a wedding for 200 people, I am not personally shooting 200 deer. But I am personally connected to every supplier we use, and a significant portion of what we serve is sourced directly by me.

Why I Hunt

Hunting is not something I do for sport. It is not a hobby. It is the most ethical and sustainable way to source meat. A wild deer that has lived its entire life in the South Downs - eating acorns, wild herbs, and grass - is the definition of free-range. No transport stress. No slaughterhouse. One clean shot and the animal goes from living to food in seconds.

Compare that to a farmed animal. Months in a feedlot. Transported to a slaughterhouse. Stressed, confined, medicated. I am not saying all farming is bad - there are excellent British farms. But if you care about animal welfare and environmental impact, wild game is the gold standard.

Every deer I shoot has a purpose. Nothing is wasted. The meat feeds people. The hide goes to a tanner. The offal feeds working dogs. Even the bones make stock. That is how food should work.
- Cai

Our Supply Chain

For larger events, we work with a network of trusted game dealers and estate managers across the South of England and Scotland. Every supplier meets our standards:

• Fully licensed and inspected - all game comes through approved game handling establishments
• Wild sourced - we do not use farmed venison or farmed game birds
• Seasonal - we follow the legal deer stalking seasons and game bird seasons
• Local first - East Sussex and surrounding counties are our primary sourcing area
• Traceable - we can tell you which estate any piece of meat came from

When deer season is open (August to April for most species), we have a reliable supply of fallow, roe, and red deer. During the closed season, we use frozen venison from the previous season or source from Scottish Highland estates where seasons differ.

Beyond Venison

Deer is our signature, but we cook a much wider range of wild game depending on season and menu:

• Pheasant and partridge - sourced from local shoots during the game bird season (October-February).
• Wood pigeon - available year-round and criminally underrated. Our pigeon poppers are our most requested canape.

The Ethics Question

Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of hunting. I understand that. But here is the reality: Britain's deer population needs active management. Without culling, deer destroy crops, damage woodlands, and cause thousands of road accidents. The Forestry Commission, Natural England, and every conservation body in the UK agrees on this.

The choice is not between hunting and leaving deer alone. The choice is between hunting responsibly and eating the meat, or culling and disposing of the carcasses. I would rather feed people with it.

What This Means For Your Event

When you book Game and Flames for your wedding or private event, you are getting ingredients with a story. Not just "locally sourced" marketing speak - genuinely wild, genuinely traceable, genuinely sustainable food. The venison on your plate might have been walking through a Sussex woodland two days before your event.

That level of connection between ingredient and plate is something you cannot get from any mainstream caterer. It is what makes us different. And it is why the food tastes the way it does.

I believe that understanding where your food comes from makes you appreciate it more. And when you watch a whole deer that I stalked on the Downs get carved at your event, that connection between forest, flame, and fork is complete.

- Cai