The Game and Flames Seasonal Menu Guide - What to Eat and When

One of the first things I tell every client is this: the menu depends on the date. Not because we are awkward, but because we follow legal seasons and natural rhythms. Wild deer, game birds, and seasonal produce all have their windows. That constraint is not a limitation - it is what makes our food exceptional.

Here is the honest guide to what we cook and when, so you can plan your wedding, corporate event, or private party around the best ingredients nature has to offer.

Spring (March - May)

Spring is transition time. The game bird season has closed (1 February for pheasant and partridge). Roe buck season opens on 1 April in England. But the real stars of spring are:

• Spring lamb - young, tender, and perfect on the Argentine cross. We source from local farms who pasture-rear on the South Downs.
• Wild garlic - forested floors across Sussex are carpeted with it from March. We use it in chimichurri, pestos, and as a bed for roasting.
• Asparagus - British asparagus season (late April to June) is short and glorious. Charred on the plancha with sea salt.
• Stored venison - we have frozen venison from the previous season that is still excellent. Properly processed and frozen game is indistinguishable from fresh.

Spring weddings benefit from the lighter flavours and the first green shoots of the season. The menus feel fresh and optimistic - exactly what you want for a new beginning.

Summer (June - August)

Peak wedding and festival season. Roe buck season is open, and from mid-August, the deer stalking season opens fully for fallow and red deer. Summer menus are built around:

• Fresh venison - from August onwards, we are sourcing directly from the current season
• Whole animal roasts - long daylight hours mean we can start the cross at 5am and have the animal ready for a 2pm wedding breakfast
• Seasonal salads - heritage tomatoes, courgettes, broad beans, fresh herbs from Sussex gardens
• Stone fruit desserts - grilled peaches, plum crumbles, cherry compotes - all enhanced by fire
• Festival menus - our full street food range of kebabs, hotdogs, and meatballs

Summer is when we are busiest and when the ingredients are at their most generous. A July wedding with a whole lamb on the cross, seasonal salads, and grilled stone fruit for dessert - that is perfection.
- Cai

Autumn (September - November)

This is my favourite season for cooking. The full deer stalking season is open. Game bird season starts on 1 October (pheasant) and 1 September (partridge). The countryside is giving us everything:

• Prime venison - fallow and red deer from local estates, at their best condition after a summer of feeding
• Game birds - pheasant, partridge, wood pigeon. Smaller portions but intense flavour. Perfect for starters or canapes.
• Wild mushrooms - chanterelles, ceps, field mushrooms from the Downs. We forage what we can and source the rest locally.
• Root vegetables - parsnips, celeriac, beetroot. Charred over fire, they develop incredible sweetness.
• Chestnuts and nuts - roasted on the fire, crumbled over desserts, or used in stuffings.

Autumn weddings get the richest, most complex menus of the year. The colours, the flavours, the atmosphere of cooking over fire in the crisp October air - there is nothing quite like it.

Winter (December - February)

Game bird season runs until 1 February. Deer season continues for most species. Winter is for hearty, warming food that makes people feel alive:

• Venison stews and pies - slow-cooked shoulder, rich gravy, root vegetables. Proper cold-weather food.
• Game bird roasts - whole pheasant or partridge, roasted over fire with root vegetables and game jus.
• Wild boar - available year-round from our suppliers, but especially suited to winter menus.
• Seasonal greens - cavolo nero, Brussels sprouts (charred on the plancha, they convert the haters), winter cabbage.
• Christmas menus - we do bespoke Christmas party catering with a full game menu, mulled wine, and all the trimmings cooked over fire.

Why Seasonality Matters

I could source frozen venison year-round and serve the same menu in January as I do in July. Some caterers do exactly that. But the whole point of what we do is authenticity. Wild game follows seasons because nature follows seasons. The menu should reflect that.

Seasonality also means variety. A couple who attended a Game and Flames wedding in June will have a completely different experience from one in October. The ingredients change. The cooking methods adapt. The menus evolve. That is not a compromise - it is a feature.

The best food is the food that belongs to the moment. Not flown in from abroad, not forced out of season, not dressed up to be something it is not. Wild, seasonal, fire-cooked. That is the Game and Flames way.

- Cai