Dispatches
All the latest news from Still Game Field Craft
Aston Rowant School visit
On 11 Jul 25 we were invited to host an Event at Aston Rowant Primary School in Oxfordshire for 21 children and 2 teachers. After setting up under a copse of trees we invited the children of Fox and Owl class in to our camp to meet some of our animals.
We had brought along Steak and Ale, our two Dutch Hookbill drakes; Bertie our demonstration cockerel and two of our ferret hobs, Fidget and Milk. The children voted unanimously to meet Bertie first, followed by the hookbills. The ferrets, hidden away in their box were a surprise and got a huge round of oohs and aahs when the lid was opened with a flourish and two ferrets popped up.
After petting the animals and learning about the roles each perform, we geared up for a foraging session.
We set off and soon stopped by the allotment. Here, we learned from the local Forest School about growing food; they have their own allotment so are quite knowledgeable.
A short walk back to the school incorporating some more foraging. While the children went off for lunch, we lit the BBQ and got the fire lighting equipment prepped for the afternoon lesson of “how to light a fire”. As soon as the children had eaten, they were back into the camp where they spent the rest of their playtime swinging on hammocks and playing with the various bits of kit we had brought out for their entertainment.
My 9 year old son, being one of the young attendees, took the group through a demonstration on fire lighting, while I finished off our signature venison burgers on the grill. As soon as the children had eaten their burgers they were split into groups and every single child successfully got a small fire lit. All of them went back at it time and time again.
No one wanted to go home! An all round successful day!
Beekeeping adventures!
On Sunday we were asked to remove some bees from a local stable building. Early on Monday morning we donned our bee suits and equipment (pictures below) and went to relocate the bees. We had already discussed with our local Reverend about putting some hives in one of the churchyards so they already had a prospective new home.
The bees were in a dark unlit building and had made their nest behind an old drinker frame, covered in tongue and groove cladding. After lighting the smoker and being given a few puffs of smoke we carefully and slowly crowbarred the T&G cladding off. A quick clear out of years of saw dust, discarded hay nets and other detritus we managed to expose the nest (see picture of paper ball nest below right) while the bees luckily stayed very calm!
The nest was gently lifted into a cardboard box, a queen excluder was placed over the box and tapped on. Essentially a home-
made nucleus box. This stops the queen leaving, causing a swarm and losing the bees in the process. The box was then carefully flipped over to put the queen excluder at the bottom. A stone was placed under the box to prop it up enough to allow the worker bees access. This followed by 4 more stones, placed on top of the box to keep it from being tipped over by the bees (picture below left). All of this in less than an hour.
We then planned to return before dusk to remove the box and walk the bees into their new home in the graveyard.
However, on our return, the bees were extraordinarily aggressive! That’s when realisation struck these are not bees ….. they are tiny, tiny, hairy wasps that look like bees! Oh dear!! We retreated and returned at 6am the next morning. The nest and nucleus box was removed from the stables and the wasps were destroyed for the safety of the horses and staff.
Now we need to find a nucleus of bees for the hive. It is all set up and ready to go in the churchyard just waiting to be home to some lovely bees! Every day is a school day!
Goose egg with nettle and wild garlic pesto
Ingredients:
200g wild garlic leaves
100g nettles
Smoked or sea salt
25-50g shelled hazlenuts
Hazelnut/walnut oil
4 goose eggs
Wash and dry the wild garlic leaves and the nettle. Chop and place in blender with smoked or sea salt to taste. Add the shelled hazelnuts and blend again. Blend in the hazelnut or walnut oil until smooth. Store in a pot in the fridge.
Boil a pan of water enough to cover the goose eggs. Place goose egg in the boiling water for 6 mins for a runny yolk. Serve egg with top of shell removed in a goose egg holder or a small cup or tumbler. Mix the pesto and egg yolk together on each dipping of the egg!
Ingredients:
3 organic chicken eggs
3tsp chestnut flour
160ml warm water
Walnuts/hazelnuts crushed or blended (optional)
Pinch of sea salt
Honey
Honey comb (optional)
Goose or duck fat
In a measuring jug, whisk the eggs. Place chestnut flour in small bowl and mix with 60ml of the water until all lumps are gone. Add this to the egg mixture and add the rest of the water.
Heat a crepe pan using duck or goose fat. Fry 3 pancakes and serve with honey and comb to taste.
Pancake with honey and nuts
Venison ribs, rabbit in wild garlic pesto and salad
For the pesto (for rabbit):
200g washed and dried wild garlic leaves
25-50g shelled hazelnuts
Hazelnut or walnut oil
Smoked or sea salt
For the ribs marinade:
2 venison ribs
2tsp fennel seeds
4tbsp Hazelnut or walnut oil
2tsp smoked salt​
Salad:
Dandelion leaves
Violets
Daisies
Raw apple cider vinegar
Runny honey
Walnut or hazelnut oil​​
Take the wild garlic leaves, chop and place in blender with smoked or sea salt to taste. Add the hazelnuts and blend again. Finally, add hazelnut or walnut oil and blend until till smooth. Store in a pot in the fridge.
Mix the marinade of fennel seed, walnut/hazelnut 4 tbsp oil and 2 tsp smoked salt. Cover the ribs in marinade and leave for 24hrs.
Whole rabbit slavered in wild garlic pesto, marinade for 24hrs.
BBQ the venison ribs and whole rabbit over a medium heat for 15 to 20mins. Both meats have no fat so will need oiling while on the BBQ. Both need gentle heat and cooking slowly. Sear first or cook fast and the meat will become rubbery, tough and over cooked!
Ensure you have enough dandelion leaves, violets and daisies to make a salad. Wash well and dry. When dry marinade for 4 hours or more in the apple cider vinegar and oil.
Serve with the meat fresh from the BBQ!
Pheasant Jerky
2lbs of pheasant breast
2 tsp fennel seeds
1tbsp dried rosemary
130mk raw apple cider vinegar
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Trim all fat (if you prefer) from the pheasant, cut breasts into 3cm lengths, approx. 1.5-2cm thick. Place all pheasant in a large bowl or oven dish. Add the fennel, rosemary and apple cider vinegar. Mix well, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 4 to 24hrs to marinade. Place in dehydrator, with pieces not touching each other at 70C for 4 to 8 hours depending on thickness of wet jerky. Alternatively use a fan oven with doors left slightly open. Jerky should be slightly bendy and not cracker dry. Store in glass jars or plastic containers.
Wild Biome Project
I am living on wild food for 3 months. My diet currently consists of fin, feather, fur and forage. All for an exciting experiment set up by Mo Wilde, Head of the Association of Foragers. It is part of a study that researches the physiological changes on the body from eating exclusively wild food.
There are two key aspects to understanding why this research is useful.
Firstly, to understand what our ancestors were eating. This is where the University of Bradford’s School of Archaeological and Forensic Science will be comparing our isotopes to those of locally found Mesolithic ancestors prior to them becoming farmers in the Neolithic period. These isotope comparisons will assist us in finding out if, today, we are more susceptible to certain diseases or illnesses as a result of our diet, and in addition, what our bodies require for optimum health.
Secondly, to understand the feasibility of eating solely a wild food diet, if we had to resort to only wild foods in the future. Reasons for this might be: food biosecurity issues, climate change, war or natural disaster. A scenario could be that Britain had to fall back on food that could only be sourced locally, if all international food imports ceased.
Water Vole Recovery Programme
The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife (BBOWT)’s Water Vole Recovery Project is on a mission to extend its existing mink control outside of Local Key Areas for targeted water vole conservation (areas known to be occupied by water voles). With the help of a Natural England Species Recovery Programme grant they are shifting their focus from control to eradication, and linking up with other projects such as the Waterlife Recovery Trust. They are looking to install more mink rafts along all main watercourses in Oxfordshire and Berkshire.
Please do get in touch with the project (watervole@bbowt.org) if you can help with any potential mink raft installation sites, landowner contacts, or if you are willing to help monitor a raft and/or undertake dispatch of trapped mink.
BBOWT’s funding covers equipment including mink rafts, traps and Remoti alarm units,
To find out more about the Water Vole Recovery Project and view the
interactive water vole survey results map, please click
here: https://www.bbowt.org.uk/what-we-do/wildlife-conservation/
Forage & Pizza Event
The group met with typical February weather – chilly with a slight drizzle – a hardy bunch, not many were put off! Guests were greeted and shown into the Sydenham Church Hall where Rev Jacky Barr had kindly laid on refreshments for us all. Introductions were made and the mandatory Health and Safety brief given, everyone managed to stay remarkably focused!
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The homemade pheasant jerky was viewed with suspicion despite being presented on silver platters! One brave soul tried the unusual jerky after a little persuasion, exclaiming “oh its really rather good!”, leading the other guests to step forward and try a sample. Being pleasantly surprised, they managed to polish off the platter! During this time, they browsed the various foraging equipment on display together with foraging guides and photographs of plants we were likely to come across.
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The 10 guests let by me, all set off with smiles on their faces and a spring in their step! Within 10 minutes we were through the local farmyard and onto our first track of the day.
Along the track we saw evidence of rabbit activity together with common primrose and ivy in berry. I provided information on how rabbits can be tracked. A little further on we saw some rabbits and also some fresh deer tracks were pointed out – muntjac and roe. This was quickly followed by the spotting of a hare moving at speed across a field and a cock pheasant too! After a little more walking we saw evidence of last year’s damsons on bushes and wild cherries also; these now just coming into bud again ready for this year’s crop.
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From this track we exited via a gate onto a bridlepath into close cropped pastureland. Young nettles and cleavers were growing here, their uses and properties explained.
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Leaving the pasture over a style and onwards for some hedgerow foraging. We came across some dead white nettle – I couldn’t resist a nibble!
Onwards through a plowed field and into sheep pasture. There were red kites and common buzzards in addition to mallards on land for breeding. After making our way across with wind swept fields, we re-entered the relative quiet of a wildlife corridor. Along here we saw moles, deer, moorhens and more rabbits. Onwards and into more pastureland, a tree has fallen and blocks the way! And as if by magic, Marcus pulls a saw from his rucksack and clears the path for the guests! On through a field that is heavily pockmarked by some outwintered beef. Oh dear, the Rev Jacky gets stuck in the mud! – all ends well with a rescue by Tracey.
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A short walk of 100m or so brings us out along the road and back to a wooded track. We arrive at Sydenham through the allotments and in sight of many rabbits contentedly grazing. From here we can smell the wood smoke from the oven which will cook our wood fire pizzas.
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Back into Sydenham proper, past some daisies and a fine example of a traditional hedge laying fence. The village hall provides the end to our walk with some much appreciated refreshments.
A few last minute pizza orders to finalised, then cooked to perfection by James and served by Marcus. Only 1 traditional topping, with everyone else choosing the more adventurous offerings! Not a crumb of the jerky so cautiously eyed in the morning was left as the guests browsed the information booklets and guides on the tables.
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An informative Q&A session was had with Marcus being a font of knowledge about all things forage.
One of the guests had brought some honey from her bees and traded it for a fresh rabbit and two other guests collected some venison burgers for feasting on at home.
Farewells were said and the guests departed having gained a new insight into foraging and dining on some wholesome, delicious food!
