This week pupils at Queen’s College learnt how to prepare a deer fresh from the shoot, skinning it, breaking it down into its primal cuts and were even taught how to debone and prepare a haunch of venison before cooking up some tasty venison steak.

The lessons on food provenance and food sustainability were delivered by a local visiting BASC Deer Manager, John Mews, who explained how through deer management he protects local habitats and other associated species, forestry and agricultural crops.

Pupils learnt why we should all be eating more wild venison to save Britain’s countryside with a record number of deer – more than two million – eating their way through the UK’s countryside and crops with more deer roaming the British countryside than any time in history. While deer are an essential part of ecosystems, in current numbers, they threaten the long-term viability.

“Wild venison meat is abundant, tasty, and healthy”, said Mr Mann, Head of the Faculty of Art, Design, and Food, he added, “as well as teaching a very skilled process of breaking down a deer we wanted to change pupil perceptions about game and persuade more people to eat this nutritious sustainable source of protein.”

Teaching also covered looking at careers in the Game Industry and meeting the high food standards for traceability in the food industry, in addition to high-skilled knife skills and food preparation skills.

Deer used in this weeks classes was ethically and sustainably sourced locally from Westonzoyland, in the heart of the Somerset levels.