#008// Well Seasoned.
Facilitating and guiding a novice deer hunter to their first kill is, to me, one of the pinnacle duties of any hunter worth their salt. When delicately curated, the experience can forge bonds and memories that last a lifetime.
I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity recently with Ryan Carey, co-founder of ‘Field Blends’. I'll save the full story for another time, as it's one worth telling in its entirety.
For now, I'll hand you over to Ryan:
“Alternative dietary approaches - veganism, vegetarianism and pescatarianism - are rising in popularity and you can see why - a vested interest in the wellbeing of animals and protection of the planet. I've realised that I share a common interest with these people - doing our best to protect the planet through sustainable eating.
I've always had an interest in food and where it came from. Since I was very young I would go out with my father and pick blackberries every Sunday during the season. We lived in the suburbs, but it wasn't difficult and it felt rewarding to gather the fruits and find them hours later served on the dinner table in some form by my mother. Often a crumble.
We’d go fishing for mackerel on holiday in Ireland, where we had family. Pan fried with butter and salt. Served 30 minutes after coming out of the Irish sea. I hold these memories very fondly.
I've tried to keep this connection to food, and that’s been difficult as I lived in London for many years before moving further out to the countryside. From growing vegetables in the garden of my ground story flat in Hackney to lacto-fermenting those vegetables for preservation, baking sourdough (before lockdown made it popular), and preserving fruit in jam. I romanticised the so-called “slow food” movement, perhaps as a way of escapism, from living in the hustle and bustle of the city.
But I also enjoy meat. I enjoy the process of cooking it, eating it and the sense of celebration that comes from sharing it with friends and family.
I, along with some good friends, started a company called Field Blends. We make seasoning blends for the outdoor enthusiast, with the aim to get more people outside, cooking and engaging with their produce whilst appreciating the world they are cooking in. Whilst every single one of our seasoning blends is serendipitously vegan, there is a natural tendency for me to want to use them on meat and share with people close to me.
Up until now I've bought my meat from the local butcher of wherever I have lived, and whilst I try and source local, high quality meat, it still more often than not has been reared by farmers, in captivity. I’d always had this desire to source my own meat, in the same way others want to grow their own vegetables, I guess.
So where do I begin? Step one - I joined the local rifle club. I'd shot shotguns before, but I'd never shot a rifle. And I knew that if I was going to be taking a life for the dinner table, I wanted to be damn sure I could take a safe, ethical shot. I got better at shooting at targets for several months.
Step two, I took the DSC level 1. This is a three-day course that educates and then tests deer knowledge - ecology, deer seasons, pathology, food hygiene. Not to mention a simulated stalk and a shooting test.
Step three, I felt I was ready. I passed my DSC, and Marc kindly offered to take me out on a stalk.
It was just a few days into roe buck season. Marc asked how I felt whilst we were driving to the property where we were going to go deer stalking. I replied “I'm not sure”. I knew that if I wanted to achieve my goals to provide for my family, friends and for myself that I would have to come to terms with the nuances of what it meant to pull the trigger. That being said, I didn't expect to enjoy the process. But rather saw it as a means to an end, a way to get food on the table. No different to foraging for blackberries when I was a kid.
So we set off, rifle in hand. The evening was bright, the fields and forest quiet. We moved slowly, deliberately, scanning the landscape for movement. Marc pointed out tracks and signs I would have missed entirely. A roe buck standing in front of me in the field ahead. Marc nodded. I steadied my breathing, just as I'd practiced countless times at the range.
The crosshairs settled.
I squeezed.
Later that day, we spotted a muntjac buck from a high seat as the sun was setting. The second shot came easier, though no less meaningful than the first. Certainly, I felt a sense of achievement. A muntjac buck and a roe buck in hand. But the work was only half way done.
Gralloched in the field, to be hung in the chiller for a week and to be turned subsequently into tacos (seasoned with Field Blends, of course), a venison ragu and smoked loin. With plenty more meat in the freezer for friends and family, this meat has a completely new meaning. I know exactly where this meat came from. The connection between the food on my plate and its source couldn't be more direct. There's a profound respect that comes with that knowledge - a respect for the deer, for nature, and for the relationship between humans and the wild food we obtain from hunting and gathering as millennia of generations have done before us.
This wasn't just meat. It was the culmination of months of preparation, learning, and a deepened understanding of what it truly means to be part of the food chain. Just like those blackberries from my childhood, but with a much greater sense of responsibility.“
Ryan Carey // www.fieldblends.club
Instagram // field.blends
find out what Ryan cooked up with some of his venison over at the Field Blends blog, along with a great recipe suggestion // SMOKEY Jalapeño & PEACH WILD VENISON TACOS
