While Executive Sous Chef at a five star hotel in Dublin in the early 2000’s I would have the above warning printed on the bottom of the menu in the fine dining restaurant, during the winter months.

Hunting, processing and eating game is a huge part of fine food culture in Europe today, as it has been for the rural peasantry for centuries. Game transcends class barriers in Europe.

We had a buyer on the ground at the legendary Rungis market in Paris and once a week we would get our delivery of seasonal specialty items such as Foie Gras from the South West, lamb from the Pyrenees and the famous Poulet de Bresse, as well as other amazing produce sourced from right throughout France and further a field, small goods from Spain and fruit from North Africa.

September was my favourite time; it was then that I would start moving the menu towards winter with outrageously rich ingredients such as truffles and foie gras, the most extraordinary fresh porchini mushrooms, morels and chanterelles, and of course game animals. I used to enjoy butchering the game myself, although sometimes even I found it mildly off putting. In Europe it is the norm for most of the bird species to arrive plucked only, after having been hung until they are literally green on the outside. Imagine the smell when you draw them i.e gut them. Also skinning hares can be a messy business. But the flavours, when these animals were cooked accordingly, were truly memorable and unique to this time of year. From your cosy seat in the restaurant, next to the open fire you could almost taste the damp forest floor and crisp, cool winter air in the dishes created from these ingredients.

It is winter here in Canberra now and I still really miss all these things. We virtually have no game culinary culture in Australia. It is possible to buy a few varieties of farmed game birds and hares; however there is no big demand and these items are out of reach, financially, for a small neighbourhood restaurant like Pulp Kitchen.

We are all aware of, and in praise of, the move in the last 15 years or so away from the globalisation, genetic modification and corporatisation of what and how we eat, and towards more holistic, sustainable and ethically farmed animal husbandry methods, resulting in more environmentally friendly food. We recognise the importance of home grown, organic and free range local produce. We also recognise the importance of the artisan producer and his dying art. This continuing shift is being driven ultimately by the choices that we make at the checkout.

For me the ultimate natural extension of this pursuit is to ethically and humanely harvest a wild animal, bring it home and prepare a meal around it. There are many chefs who feel this way. Philippe Legendre is the chef of the three Michelin star restaurant ‘le Cinq’ in Paris where I was a Chef de Partie in 1999. He would sometimes come to work with the carcass of a deer that he had shot, over his shoulder. The care and the skill with which I witnessed him process the carcass, and the mastery in the dishes that he had us prepare from it, to me, shows the ultimate respect for the animal. Celebrity chefs too, like Jamie Oliver appear to be keen hunters. He has been seen in his programmes hunting wild pigs in Italy as well as marauding rabbits in his own veggie garden, under spotlight. He always, of course makes good use of the animals that he shoots. Marco Pierre White was the original bad boy, rock star chef in Great Britain in the 80’s and early 90’s, he was the youngest chef ever to hold 3 Michelin stars, he was the mentor of Gordon Ramsey, and he made Ramsey look like a Sunday school teacher. He gave back his Michelin stars 1999 because he said that he could not be at each of his restaurants every evening cooking for people who expected (and really paid for) him to be there. His since estranged protégé could take a leaf from that book. White is hosting a new series for ITV which highlights British small hold growers and producers, illustrating the care and respect with which they tend to their crops and beasts. All so that we may be content in the knowledge that the food we eat, lived a good, natural life. He aims to bring people closer to the food, illustrating that meat is not simply found wrapped in cling film on a polystyrene tray at the supermarket, but that it was in fact a live animal previously. He also hunts and fishes, illuminating the abundance of wild produce caught on a line or shot in the field, presenting it as the ultimate free range product. White proclaims the importance of free range versus organic when it comes to meat, and I agree with him. Livestock may be organic but not free range, however if it is free range then it is usually always organic, and it would have had a higher quality of life as a free range animal. This is why I have free range chicken on my menu here at Pulp. He, along with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from the River Cottage, is one the few celebrity chefs in England who present anything which contains real substance.

If you accept that we have a moral responsibility, as the dominant species in the way that we treat other animals then there must be a moral aspect to your dealings with the meat that you eat. For me, the pleasure of hunting and fishing also lies in the pursuit itself, of edible quarry. I enjoy it even if I don’t harvest or catch anything, as is often the case. I love the interaction with the natural environment, the wilder the better. I am a licensed conservation hunter; I have what is called an R licensed. This allows me to hunt feral animals on public land under strict regulations. I had to complete a course and exam, which taught how to identify feral species and what equipment to use, to humanely harvest these animals. I believe that animals should only be destroyed for human consumption and or, for properly sanctioned population control, anything else is unethical. Combining population control and the sourcing of high quality food, is ultimately the best outcome. I accept that even in a seasoned hunters mind, the death of an animal produces mixed feelings of moral ambiguity, of power and possession tempered by respect and regret. But when you take that animal or fish humanely, and you bring it into your home to process in such a way that every part is utilised to create a special and memorable meal for family or friends, it gives you a real sense of accomplishment and achievement. There is an emotional element to the eating which can only be likened to eating your own home grown produce, but it is much more intense and it evokes in me at least a strong sense of connection to the world around me, as well as to the animal itself. The right to kill an animal for consumption is not morally wrong, it is not a god given right. It is part of the natural order, but this right must be bound by a strong set of ethics and moral obligations. Just as we have an obligation to domestic livestock to ensure a healthy and stress free existence, we have the same obligation to all wild animals. We need to protect their habitats with sensible measures of preservation and the stewardship of our natural areas. As with the slaughter of domestic livestock, we are obliged, as hunters to make the kill as painless and stress free as possible, and if done so, then this type of death is perhaps the quickest and most humane death of any animal domestic or wild. One must remember that in the wild very few animals die of old age, and usually they do not die quickly and cleanly.

We do have a few species of game in the wild and it seems that they are all in fact introduced, feral species that have a destructive impact on our native ecosystems as well as our agricultural industries. This is of course because there is no natural apex predator in Australia capable of controlling larger feral species such as pigs, goats and deer. We need to protect our native animals from the damage that these feral game species do to the natural habitat. Unfortunately we do not seem to take much advantage of these animals and their existence; many are merely destroyed and left to rot by farmers who are justifiable trying to protect their crops, what a waste. We need a regulated hunting and meat processing system or financially viable industry that combined with legislation and infrastructure can successfully see the transition of wild game from the field to the plates in our homes and restaurants.

The worst of our feral offenders is perhaps the humble little rabbit. One reason why it may attract negative connotations these days is perhaps due to its other name of underground mutton, and its widespread consumption during the terrible time of the depression in the early thirties. Rabbits and hares are common around Canberra and relatively easy to go out and hunt. I grew up on a property here and used to shoot them just to help keep the populations down; this is actually a legal requirement of land owners in some rural jurisdictions. But since returning home, from 12 years overseas, as a chef; I have a new interest in these animals as game. There are two places in town that I would recommend for anyone who is interested in exploring the area of hunting, Fyshwick Firearms and the Shooters Wholesale Warehouse in Mitchell. Both of these shops have knowledgeable people on hand to answer questions from firearm laws and legislation, right through to good hunting and game processing methods. You just need legal access to land to be able to harvest your own meat. There is also all the information you need on the conservation hunting R licence available from the Game Council of NSW website http://www.gamecouncil.nsw.gov.au

Wild rabbit can make good eating if you have know what to handle it. Firstly try to use young rabbits, as they will be far more tender. Old rabbits have leathery ears, yellow broken teeth and tough nails. The calicivirus does not harm humans, but stay away from any rabbits that look like they may have myxomatosis, these rabbits will have pussy eyes and white spots on the liver. If in doubt, throw it out and do not use it. Always draw and skin the rabbit as soon as possible, then hang it in a cool environment for a few days before cooking. Unless it is a young tender or farmed rabbit it needs to be cooked slowly with lots of moisture or with fat from another source, pork belly is great for this.

I accept that hunting and shooting animals is not for everybody, and I respect peoples’ right to choose not to take part or support such activities, even so, if you do enjoy meat, go the markets and see what farmed game is on offer, help to increase demand, and try the other white meat.

Rabbit Frikadeller

My family moved to Australia when I was eight years old from Denmark. My favourite dish when I was a kid was frikadeller with boiled new potatoes and parsley sauce. These small meatballs are usually made with pork and veal mince, but they lend themselves well to the use of wild rabbit. This is a really simple, tasty, home style dish and the leftover cold frikadeller a great sliced on a sandwich the next day. Enjoy!

500g pork mince
500g rabbit mince
1 large onion grated
2 whole eggs
200g plain flour
Milk
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients but milk and seasoning. Slowly beat the milk into the mix, creating a good sloppy consistency, just stiff enough to be able to be spooned into a hot pan, one at a time and seared on both sides. Cook one sample first to check seasoning then adjust the rest of the farce to taste. Serve with boiled new potatoes, parsley sauce and steamed brocolinni.