The first English Squab pigeon for at least 30 years
Apple glazed squab pigeon served with confit duck, potato spring onion and apple hash serves 4 people This is the newest home grown recipe to grace the tables in the […]
Calling all London & South East game shooters
To celebrate the approaching season we will be hosting an afternoon at the Essex Shooting School with an evening meal at The Cart Shed Restaurant. Tuesday the 12th of July […]
The Field & Country Fair
Good morning to all my loyal readers and followers. There is exciting news in the Shotgun Chef camp today. Thanks to a great opportunity from Fiona Eastman and The Field […]
Homemade Christmas mincemeat
I can’t claim this mincemeat recipe to be my own – I modified it by removing the nuts and fiddling with the quantities, but I served it at one of […]
Good Easter friends and family shoot
Yesterday William and I were lucky enough to be reunited with old friends and family for one of my father-in-law’s syndicate’s shoot days. William was to be a back Gun, […]
How did it go?
I have been asked by so many people how the pop up restaurant in Epping went on the 3rd of December. Thank you to all those who asked and an […]
Pop up restaurants in Epping for December
After the success of our ‘How to Run a Pop up Restaurant‘ book in 2015, 2016 is going to be the year of pop up restaurants for The Shotgun Chef. […]
My first Highland Stag
A couple of weeks ago I thought I would treat myself to a stalk on a rare week without guests. Asa, who is my gillie/keeper for the 2015 season, and […]
Cuban extreme fishing extravaganza
5th-13th February 2016. Trip includes fishing and some transfers, 2 nights in 5* hotel in Havana 6 nights and 6 days fishing on La Tortuga – our floating hotel with […]
The Punchbowl supperclub launches!
I was lucky enough to be invited to The Punchbowl in Mayfair’s inaugural monthly supperclub at the beginning of the month (with Shotgun away in Scotland,I was in need of […]
2015-2016 Sporting Breaks With The Shotgun Chef
This year we will be running all our usual breaks up on Lewis, as well as a few more adventurous trips away from Cuba, across Europe and, in time, even […]
Step-by-step guide on how to run a pop-up restaurant
Running a pop-up restaurant is a fantastic way of cashing in on the pluses of running a traditional restaurant without the high costs that go hand in hand with it. […]
Hearty hare stew
This recipe for hare stew is one that I love to cook for friends after a long day in the field – because it’s so simple and takes a long […]
Amazing opportunity for a foodie family to move to the island!
While living on Lewis, we’ve come across many fantastic projects that celebrate the island’s local produce and one of the most exciting of these is set up by the North […]
Venison Wellington
Venison Wellington makes a fantastic centrepiece for a dinner party. It is not, as is often assumed, an invention for that famous Duke’s epic victory, but rather so named because […]
Shooting at Soval House
It’s been a fantastic start to 2015 at Soval House. Despite the Isle of Lewis being the primary target for THAT weather bomb and being battered by the worst storms […]
Homemade pork scratchings: a guilty pleasure
This is my most utterly favourite snack and so simple to do! I have a friendly local butcher in Stornoway and he happily gives me pig fat for free, so […]
Pheasant and rabbit pie
This elegant pie is fantastic for any festive gatherings you may be holding over the next couple of months. I like to use wild rabbit because it is far more […]
Garlic and rosemary focaccia
The wind has really picked up today on the island so rather than venture outside I’ve hunkered down in the kitchen to make some delicious warm and comforting focaccia. We’ve […]
Snipe Vs Merlin
Yesterday the wife and I witnessed the most AMAZING falconry flight I have ever seen. I consider myself to have seen some superb flights while I have been out working […]
Finally – I get to fire my gun!
After being on the island for nearly two weeks, I got to dirty my barrels for the first time yesterday evening. The night before I had gone out with the […]
We’ve arrived!
Adventure Some would say that packing your entire life into two trailers, a van and a Range Rover, including dogs, falcons, rods and enough guns to equip a small army, […]
Duck flights of fantasy
Those of you who read this blog regularly will know that I had a particularly disastrous experience duck flighting last year, and would not be too keen to repeat it […]
Grouse and coconut curry
If you find that your grouse have been badly shot, this is a fantastic recipe to make the most of what’s left of the carcase so that the birds don’t […]
Griddled grouse with claret and heather honey gravy
The Glorious Twelfth is the New Year’s Eve of the shooting season. Eagerly counted down to by every shotgun owner in the land, come the 12 August, Guns head to […]
Cornish wrasse with spring onions, cream and white wine
While spear fishing in Cornwall a few weeks ago I managed to bag myself a very large rainbow wrasse. Wrasse are not a fish you will find on your fishmonger’s […]
Spearfishing in Cornwall
I whisked the wifelett away for a week in Cornwall – hiding behind a facade of being wildly romantic, but actually knowing that this would be an excellent chance to […]
Shotgun’s Sloe British Screw
When the wifelet returned, exhausted and thirsty from The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club’s annual conference to speak on behalf of Shooting Times at the weekend, I would have normally […]
Pheasant and bacon pie
This is a great warming winter dish for using up any pheasant you have still in the freezer. We use this throughout the season for a beaters’ lunch or as […]
Learning to shoot with an air-rifle
This afternoon I decided to teach the wife and my little boy about air-rifles. I love air-rifles, and for many years chose not to use rimfires ( a small caliber, […]
Rabbit Carbonara
The 20th of February marks the end of the wildfowling season and with it, the close of the sporting calendar. It’s also the end of my beard (strangely much to […]
Stir-fried pigeon and chestnut mushrooms with Soba noodle broth
This is a delicious, clean, light dish that makes an interesting use of wood pigeon, which you can shoot all year round. We cook this in our house as a […]
Thoughts from the wife: Duck shooting is quackers
Abigail says: About a week ago, Shotgun and I went on our final shoot of the season. After a pleasant day with the pheasants, strolling around Good Easter, we headed […]
Thoughts from the wife: Remember to take the bird slowly from behind…
Abigail says: I’m up to my third shooting lesson and while I’m not sure how much I’m learning about technique, I’m learning an awful lot about my father-in-law. After missing […]
The annual Weald Place Farm walkabout shoot
The Saturday just gone saw our annual walk about shoot at the farm. It’s a bit of a joke, and we never expect much – in the past my father […]
Splash-out roast rack of lamb
I know this is a pricey cut of meat but, if cooked to perfection, really is worth it (I’ve been known to lick the baking tray to make sure the […]
Teriyaki pheasant with pepper, courgette and spring onion
This dish is fantastic to do with badly-shot pheasant. Stir-frys are a great quick and healthy dish to prepare at the end of a long day and you can pretty […]
Simple roast goose
I cooked a roast goose for Christmas and it went down a treat. Wild or home-reared, they are both great, but if you’re lucky enough to get out and shoot […]
Duck liver and orange pate
This simple recipe is a family favourite. Duck livers are very cheap if you have a good butcher, or you save them up from the season. You’ll find they are […]
Thoughts from the wife: “Shooting is a lot like sex…”
Abigail says: One of the benefits of being married to Shotgun is an abundant supply of clay pigeon shooting tuition from my father-in-law Michael Alldis, who owns Essex Shooting School. […]
Red onion and goat’s cheese tart
This little wonder sells like hot cakes at the farmers’ markets. Any that doesn’t, does not take the wife long to finish. Ingredients: 3 large red onions 3oz (85g) brown […]
Roast Rib Buster Joint
This joint of beef is one of the cheapest you can get from your butcher, and I promise, if properly hung, you will never be disappointed. Usually costing less than […]
Boxing day shoot at Good Easter
The tradition of hunting or shooting on Boxing Day is one of my favorites. This year I was invited by my father to shoot pheasants in Good Easter (mid Essex). […]
Mini two-bird roast
This one is inspired by one of my most unsuccessful wildfowling trips ever. I went out with a friend who conjured the idea of a four-mile paddle in a Canadian […]
Squirrel and mushroom stroganoff
Despite the fact that I fundamentally disagree with cooking squirrel, once the wife discovered that it was in fact possible to eat the furry little things (thanks very much Game to […]
How to cook perfect quail eggs
Although I can’t eat these delicious little orbs as I am allergic to eggs, friends and family absolutely love them. This time of year, they make fantastic nibbles and canapés, […]
Snipe shooting in Scotland
I’m sorry I’ve not been posting much over the last few days, as I’ve been preoccupied photographing the beauty of Scotland for a client. This, however, means one thing: I’m […]
Salt-Roast Chicken
This is one of those quick recipes that tastes amazing. I always buy whole chickens, not breasts, as it saves you money if you use the whole carcass. Ingredients (to […]
Pheasant Kievs
This recipe is a great way of getting children to eat game. It looks like naughty chicken nibblets nonsense, but actually tastes of all that is good in the world. I’m not […]
Mini game casseroles
This recipe will wow at dinner parties, and is also great to take to work for a packed lunch, as I’m sure my wife will confirm. She has a proper […]
My 1st proper partridge shoot (sort of)
For Many years I have wanted to run a proper lowland partridge shoot this year I have taken the challenge on on our small farm in Essex. So whats the […]
Stir-fried teriyaki pheasant with spring onions, courgette, peppers and red onions
This dish is fantastic to do with badly-shot pheasant. Stir-frys are a fantastic quick and healthy dish to prepare at the end of a long day and you can pretty […]
The Cart Shed Restaurant
To all my readers – I’m sorry to have been so quiet recently. I can promise you I’ve not just been enjoying myself shooting and fishing. Yes, there’s been a […]
