Game
VENISON
Considering our location this is vital to our menu and the importance we place on venison should not be under estimated. Please do not feel bad about eating the venison on offer, as it is healthy, sustainable, humanely culled and NOT from Richmond Park! There are six varieties of wild deer in the UK and at The Lass we mainly use two species. All deer taste different due to their diets and behavioural habits. We source our venison very carefully from butchers who select the animal to be culled so as to ensure the prosperity of the herd and to keep the deer numbers on the estates they manage to acceptable levels. We purchase whole animals at a time and ensure every part of the animal is used throughout our menu.
FALLOW:
Our neighbours these big herd deer were introduced by the Normans in the 10th century and have done very well as you can see over the car park wall! Long grain meat that is tender and where our wonderful loin cuts come from. Mainly culled on estates near Hereford, a few are also shot in the royal parks.
ROE:
These are our indigenous deer, often they can be seen feeding on the sides of roads etc. Males are in season in the summer, females in winter. The Roe population is expanding fast and culling is essential. Really soft, delicious venison, it does not need much hanging.
Ours comes from Hungerford.
We do occasionally use other species of dear such as Red Deer and Muntjac so please feel free to ask a member of staff which variety we are serving today.
HARE:
A classic old english meat that is coming back into fashion and a big favourite at The Lass. Slow cooked this rich meat is not for the faint hearted due to the strong flavour. Only shot in small numbers and they will come and go from the menu as the weather determines shooting possibilities.
WOOD PIGEON:
First of all we must clarify that these are not the same animals seen swarming the cities and trafalgar square! The Wood Pigeon has dark rich flesh perfect for salads and matches well with rich berries. With an estimated 30 million in the UK we need to keep eating them. All shot in the Berkshire Downs.
PHEASANT:
Introduced in the UK by the Normans in the 10th century this old English meat is seeing a big comeback due to it's rich meat and fantastic flavour. All shot in Berkshire we use a species call the ring-necked pheasant due to it's plump meat and rich flavour.
RABBIT:
A fantastic sustainable food source that is much underused on many menus. The meat is pale and delicious and goes into our famous rabbit casserole! All of our rabbit is shot in Berkshire on stubble fields to protect farmers crops in the autumn.
