National Taste of Game Week was so successful in 2009 that this year The British Association for Shooting and Conservation [BASC] have extended it by a week and renamed it "National Taste of Game Fortnight." The promotion will run from the 6th to the 20th of November, 2010.

National Taste of Game Fortnight aims to highlight the benefits of game meat as a local, wild and nutritious food, encouraging the public to discover the great taste of game.

Neil Hitchen, head chef at The Berkeley Arms in Wymondham, is proud to serve locally sourced game. At this atmospheric pub in the heart of Leicestershire countryside, the emphasis is on providing fresh and locally sourced produce and mouth-watering, perfectly prepared dishes. Below is a photograph of game as it arrives at the pub: delivered fresh from the local shoot.

To celebrate National Taste of Game Fortnight, we asked Neil to share some of his most popular game recipes. Below is The Berkeley Arms' exclusive recipe for Chargrilled Wood Pigeon.

Char Grilled Wood Pigeon

With a Poached Aplle Salad and Hazelnut Dressing

Serves 4 (starter size)

Ingredients

4 Pigeon Breasts

50-60g small salad and herb leaves

½ Cinammon stick

4 Cloves

1 Bay Leaf

1 Pint Apple juice

2 Granny Smiths Apples - peeled and diced

For the Dressing

2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons rape seed or olive oil

4 tablespoons roasted and chopped hazelnuts

Make the dressing by mixing the oil and vinegar together, add the hazelnuts and season with salt & pepper.

Poaching the Apples

Pour the apple juice into a saucepan with the cinnamon, clove and bay leaf, add the diced apple and simmer until just cooked. Leave in the apple juice to cool.

For the pigeon

Season the pigeon breasts and grill on both sides briefly so they stay pink, transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest.

Toss the dressing with leaves and arrange on the plates. Slice the pigeon thinly and place over the leaves, add the poached apples.  Serve.

This recipe was kindly provided for us by Neil and Louise Hitchen, owners of the Berkeley Arms.

For further information on The Berkeley Arms call Louise Hitchen on: 01572 787587 email: info@theberkeleyarms.co.uk or visit www.theberkeleyarms.co.uk