Eat Wild and the Craft Guild of Chefs are delighted to announce the winner of their first Competition, which concluded last week during Great British Game Week 2024. This pioneering event led by culinary visionaries highlights the role of game meat in supporting biodiversity and encouraging young chefs to embrace sustainable British ingredients.
Participating chefs were challenged to create innovative dishes using wild British game, highlighting its versatility, flavour, and potential for positive environmental impact. The event celebrated the culinary creativity and commitment to sustainability of young chefs from across the country, who skillfully integrated wild, locally-sourced ingredients into their dishes, inspiring both the judges and attendees alike.
Two fabulously food orientated days started on Wednesday the 6th of November with finalists visiting Oakland Park, where they were treated to a full tour of their impressive and busy game processing facility. The importance of integrating sustainable and locally-sourced ingredients into culinary training was highlighted whilst discussing different species of wild game meat, where it comes from and how it is handled after harvest, encouraging the young chefs to consider the broader environmental impact of their ingredient choices, from sourcing to final presentation.
Attended by Chef Patron, Mark Kempson of Kitchen W8, Leon Challis-Davies of Eat Wild and Pivotal Foods, Ian Page, Young Chef Ambassador for Craft Guild of Chefs and Mark Reynolds, Chair of the Craft Guild of Chefs, who judged the first round of entrants and got to join the final five on their tour and discussions.
Oakland Park provided some of their fabulous Wild Boar and Venison Sausages and Venison Burgers for everyone before they left for Devon and tried to relax before the final cook-off the next day.
Thursday the 7th of November – found finalists and Judges, Mark Reynolds, Ian Page, Matthew Marshall of RAC Club, London, and Harriet Mansell, Executive Chef at Lilac Restaurant and Wine Bar and a keen forager and wild food chef, outside the doors of The Ground Up Cookery School in Devon.
Colin Wheeler-James, Culinary Director of the cookery school, forager and fermenter, kicked the day off with a foraging session, encouraging everyone to taste different herbs and berries found locally to the school and to collect any ingredients needed for their dishes. Then it was time to cook and present their dishes to the Judges.
Our winning chef was Jude Bell, from Bournemouth and Poole College and apprenticed under Head Chef Sagar Desai at PWC Embankement. He produced an unbelievable wild boar, harissa scotch egg with black garlic, which was full of flavour and left the judges wanting to eat the entire dish, along with a sumptuous and decadent, pulled wild rabbit burger with pico de gallo, mole sauce and lettuce in a Parkerhouse bun. Using wild-foraged ingredients, Jude crafted two dishes that not only showcased innovative culinary techniques but also honoured the natural environment from which the ingredients were sourced. His focus and dedication to the planning and execution of both dishes was exceptional and we think he is on course to be a very exciting chef.
Jude has won a lesson on clays and a day in the kitchen with Mark Kempson at KitchenW8 followed by dinner for four people, as well as three years free membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs.
“This competition was incredible. I learned so much about game meat and the importance of sustainability. It’s amazing to see how versatile British game can be,” said Jude.
It was a very close competition and our runner up was Marissa Jones, an apprentice chef with Andrew Draper, Executive Chef at Compass Cymru.
Marissa prepared two beautiful dishes, Mallard carrot and spring onion Gyoza with a hoisin sauce followed by a wild venison bao bun accompanied by a gochujang slaw and plum sauce. Her dishes were executed with skill and attention to detail, were clearly well planned, only lacking in a little seasoning, which is an easy future fix. Marissa will also be one to watch in the future.
Marissa won a stunning Savernake Santoku Knife, which was kindly presented by Kieron Murphy Head of Sales at Savernake, and three years membership to the Craft Guild of Chefs.
“Overall those two days were fantastic! It was so much to learn and the game processing was so interesting to see from start to finish, everyone was so kind.” Marissa said, “ the competition itself was the most enjoyable thing ever, the Ground Up Cookery School was like something out of Harry Potter, but it was so amazing to experience it and see how much you can actually do with food and foraging was so fun to see how much u can get not so far away. During the competition it was so friendly ,the judges were there to help if you needed help. Everyone was passionate about game. I wasn’t nervous about the competition as it was very chilled. We all were doing it for fun, which I think is the best way to have it.”
A Focus on British Game Meat and Sustainability
The competition celebrates the distinctive value of game meat, which supports biodiversity and environmental health across British landscapes. Unlike other proteins, game meat production is uniquely aligned with environmental sustainability, offering a net-positive impact on ecosystem health and high welfare standards.
“This event is a monumental achievement for Eat Wild and the Craft Guild of Chefs,” said Leon Challis-Davies of Eat Wild. “Our goal is to encourage the next wave of chefs to appreciate the unique qualities of British game—its support of biodiversity, its high welfare, and its positive impact on our countryside. No other protein does what game meat does for the environment.”
Ian Page, young chef ambassador for the guild of chefs:
“It was amazing to see young chefs create everyday dishes like street food and bar snacks using wild meats. This is the future for wild meat, and these young chefs are embracing it now. I’m already looking forward to next year’s competition.”
Judge Harriet Mansell says
“This was a timely and inspiring competition, celebrating the sustainability of wild produce as well as the bountiful wild larder of flavours and ingredients, often under used and undervalued or misunderstood by chefs and consumers alike. Fantastic to place a value on this highly sustainable area, and foster connection to the natural world around us which in these times is more imperative than ever, to understand the food chain and the story of ingredients from start to finish and carry this story to the food. Seeing the talent come through to the final of this competition was very inspiring”
Celebrating Culinary Sustainability
This competition underscores the importance of ethical ingredient sourcing and sustainable cooking within the culinary industry. By highlighting wild and foraged ingredients, Eat Wild and the Craft Guild of Chefs aim to inspire chefs nationwide to consider the impact of their culinary choices on the environment and hope to make this an annual event.