Game is on the menu as the season gets underway

Autumn is game season so take your date to one of these restaurants and enjoy hearty seasonal dishes together during October and November

Chefs at the Great Inns of Britain will be using the freshest local ingredients as the game season gets underway, so if you’re organising a dinner date, try one of these great restaurants.
Feversham Arms & Verbena Spa in Helmsley, North Yorkshire
Farndale Red Leg Partridge, yellow beetroot fondant, girolles and lentil jus will be on the menu,  using locally sourced Red Leg Partridge from the popular Farndale shoot just three miles away.

The Peacock at Rowsley, Derbyshire
You can expect venison loin served with pancetta, sweet potato, brussel sprouts and blackcurrant jus at The Peacock, using Black Norwegian Fallow Deer bred on the Haddon Estate.

The Boar’s Head in Ripley, North Yorkshire
Faithful to its name, this inn is serving a starter of Boar’s Head Terrine with crusty bread, mixed salad and “Crackshot” chutney.  The dish uses locally supplied wild boar combined with Crackshot Ale, which is brewed for the hotel by Daleside Brewery using a 17th century recipe found by in an old housekeeper’s book by Inn keeper Sir Thomas Ingilby.

The Blue Lion in East Witton, North Yorkshire
A Wensleydale favourite, the chefs at the Blue Lion will be treating diners to breast of pheasant wrapped in streaky bacon with pine nut and butternut squash risotto.  This Inn is also running a special mid-week offer of three nights for the price of two.

Barnsdale Lodge in Oakham, Rutland
Here weekly game specials are being served throughout October and November with a complimentary wine list, including Exton Estate pheasant pot roast, served with root vegetables, apricots and chestnuts.  The chefs will use the freshest pheasant, direct from the shoots on the adjacent Exton Estate which is owned by Lord Gainsborough, the father of Innkeeper Thomas Noel.

The Inn at Whitewell, Clitheroe, Lancashire
The Walshall and Lancashire Moors near The Inn at Whitewell in The Forest of Bowland,  are home to some of the best grouse and partridge in Britain.  They will be serving roasted young Lancashire grouse, with bread sauce, game chips, roast potatoes, garden peas and cranberry compote.

The Bell Inn, at Horndon-on-the Hill, Essex
They will be serving their award-winning wild rabbit saddle in herb mousse with fondant potato, rabbit leg ballottine and chestnut mushrooms.  Using rabbit from local suppliers in North Essex, this dish helped the Inn win the Pubchef Food Excellence Award 2009.

The Royal Hotel, Comrie in Perthshire
A favourite haunt with shooting parties, The Royal Hotel in Perthshire will be offering two contrasting game dishes this autumn.  The classic Scottish Highland Venison with roasted root vegetables, Dauphinoise potatoes and a cherry brandy jus uses venison from local stalks on Glen Artney.  They will also add their twist to an old favourite, with their pheasant burgers which are made from freshly caught game from their sister property in Cumbria.

Hundred House Hotel, Shifnal, Shropshire
If you fancy trying your hand in the kitchen, book you and your date on Chef Stuart Phillips unique Game Masterclass on 13th November at the Hundred House Hotel.  You’ll learn to cook a range of game dishes, and you can take home your wares at the end of the day!  Call 01952 580240 to book your place.

You can find directions to all the Inns mentioned here on the Great Inns of Britain’s website.  And if you would like to impress your date with your own culinary skills, here’s a seasonal recipe for pheasant pot roast.