British Game Alliance (BGA), the not-for-profit organisation working to promote feathered game, has just announced a series of collaborations with major players in hospitality and catering including Samworth Brothers, to bring sustainable and ethically sourced game meat to more British consumers than ever before, and cater to rising demands.
Game sales in the UK have risen by 8% in the last year and now stand at £114m, meaning that an estimated 14% of the population now regularly consumes game meat. Waitrose also recently reported soaring interests in searches for feathered game on Waitrose.com: a 43% increase for partridge, a 36% increase for pheasant and a 12% increase for pigeon.
Responding to this rising demand for game in the UK, the BGA has partnered with one of the UK’s largest food manufacturers, Samworth Brothers, who have an annual turnover of over £1bn and believe there is a several million pounds a year opportunity for their new game range across the Foodservice sector. This, in turn, will allow the BGA to lay down a significant amount of ‘game', in the hundreds of thousands for totally new markets.
A range of new commercial dishes have been created with Samworth Brothers’ chefs, including a game pie, a game pork pie, and pheasant and fennel sausage roll - developed using ‘BGA-assured’ meat, meaning it has been sourced according to the BGA’s strict regulations. As a result, it is more sustainable, ethical, and among the best on the market.
These commercial game products will be available to consumers to buy at UK-wide stadiums, large corporations, public service sectors and other food service outlets, sold predominately through the UK’s leading contract caterers who have also welcomed the innovative game range. Other products are also being developed and trialled.
Thomas Adams, Managing Director of BGA, said, “We are hugely proud to be working with such reputable companies in bringing game to the masses in a format like never before. By using Samworth’s supply into the retail space, we hope to get a lot more BGA-assured products listed into more major retailers along with our existing food service operators.”
Nick Anderson, Group Commercial Director – Foodservice, Samworth Brothers, said, “Samworth Brothers is a business that strives to work with the best British ingredients, so our chefs were delighted to work in collaboration with the BGA to put sustainable game on the menu with a range of innovative and unique game products. We think this will resonate well with existing and new consumers.”
Lord Mark Price, former Managing Director at Waitrose, said, “This is exactly what the game sector needs to ensure these great products reach the masses. Innovation and competitive pricing will be leading drivers to growing game sales in the UK. Through the BGA’s work, exciting times lie ahead for the game industry.”
The recipe of Slow Roast Pheasant Ramen from BGA is pictured.