What is it and where is it from?

The red grouse is a truly wild game bird found only in the British Isles and Ireland. The main distribution is in the north of England and Scotland. Grouse populations tend to follow a five-year cycle, determined by a parasitic worm, which builds up as the population increases until causing a population crash. Culling them hard in the boom years, which 2008 looks set to be, helps smooth out the cycle.

What is its heritage?

Once found throughout Britain, the red grouse now survives only on the heather moorlands that are managed for shooting. Before the Industrial Revolution much of the uplands of northern England and Scotland were barren heaths on which comparatively few grouse survived.

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As more traditional pasture was turned over to the plough (particularly during the two world wars) farmers pushed further north in search of grazing for sheep, reclaiming vast areas of heath land by one of the oldest methods of agriculture – burning on a rotational basis to create new growth. This benefited not only the sheep but also the red grouse.

Shooting had become enormously popular in Victorian times. Led by Queen Victoria’s purchase of Balmoral on Deeside and following the opening of the east and west coast railways, wealthy Victorians poured into Scotland from the beginning of August each year for their sporting holidays. The Twelfth of August, the official date that Queen Victoria took up residence at Balmoral, marked the opening of the grouse season, and became the greatest day in the social calendar. It is still known as The Glorious Twelfth.

What does it look and taste like?

The bird’s most obvious physical features are its plump shape and white eyelids with a bright pinkish-red comb above. It is the only game bird to have feathers on its legs and feet, which help protect it in the cold and snow.

The flesh is dark in colour and exceptionally rich in flavour, which can make it an acquired taste, but one that has won worldwide acclaim. The diet of the red grouse comprises 95 per cent heather, providing them with their unique flavour.

How is it used?

Young grouse are best roasted and served with their traditional accompaniments of rowan jelly, fried breadcrumbs and game chips. Older Grouse should be casseroled.

Where can I buy it?

Weatherall Foods in the Scottish Borders sells red grouse from local estates by mail order see www.blackface.co.uk

Prism restaurant in the City will be celebrating the first of the season with, roasted red grouse, game chips, truffled bread sauce, armagnac jus, priced at £32 (020 7256 3875).

Slow Food is an international eco-gastronomic movement which promotes the enjoyment and protection of locally grown produce. For more information on how to join your regional convivium and forthcoming events: www.slowfood.org.uk

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