Get set for the Glorious Twelfth
FROM next Wednesday a little red-brown bird on Britain's moorlands had better keep its head down.
It's the Glorious Twelfth, the start of the grouse hunting season, and around 450,00 of them are expected to be shot between then and December 10. It's a short, sharp season. But what they cost depends on who you are and where you are.
If you're a 'gun' on a grouse moor it will cost you between 100 and 150 for the privilege of shooting a brace of grouse. The estate itself gets 4 a brace selling them on to game dealers, pubs and restaurants.
A grouse main course should cost around 10 in a pub to 15 or thereabouts in a restaurant but up to 60 at Claridges next Wednesday, when the first grouse of the season are rushed to London.
People get hot under the collar about shooting but it's the maintenance of the grouse moors that keep our countryside looking the way it does. It's good for bird life. Grouse moors harbour an average of 33 bird species, compared with 17 for unmanaged moors.
And it brings money into the fringes of a hard-pressed rural economy, says Phil Pugh, North of England spokesman for the British Association for Conservation and Shooting.
The Peak has 35,000 of the 702,000 acres of grouse moor across the north of Britain. As far as the Peak is concerned, 80 potential shooting days will provide work for 10 full time gamekeepers, 600,000 in wages, bring in 1.5 million to be invested in land management, and another 180,000 spent on local accommodation and meals.
And if you've got a party of wealthy Americans, that doesn't include what they spend in the shops!
Last year was one of the best seasons in memory and at present "the Peak District is looking quite reasonable," says Phil.
All will depend on how well keepers have managed the birds - too big a bird population and they will be prone to disease - and the weather.
Not all the guns will be blasting away on Wednesday. Some moor owners will wait a few weeks until the time is right.
Roast grouse is low in fat (5.3g per 100g), high in protein (31.3g) and a superb source of phosphorous (470mg).
Should you get hold of a brace, smear each bird inside and out with one ounce of butter mixed with lemon juice, salt and pepper and roast in a hot oven for 25 minutes.
Serve with fried breadcrumbs, watercress, lemon slices and cranberry sauce.
Very young birds can be grilled after cutting in half, seasoned and brushed with melted butter. They take eight minutes and should not be overcooked.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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