Entries for The Eat Game Awards (EGA) 2019 are now open for customers to nominate the businesses and individuals that deserve rewarding for their expertise, innovation and passion in working with wild game. People will be able to vote across twelve categories, from their favourite producer and pub to favourite chef, on the Eat Game Awards website.
UK retail sales of game meat are expected to increase by 73% to £145 million over the decade from 2011 to 2021. By encouraging customers to nominate and vote, businesses will be able to garner even more enthusiasm for this vital and nutritious meat, as well as have a chance to be rewarded for their hard work and passion.
Last year’s winners included supermarket chain ALDI, winner of “Best Multiple Retailer Selling Game”, for offering a wide range of game meats and promoting them by providing recipe cards to its customers. Aldi has also collaborated with Taste of Game to “continue to offer lean, rich meat.”
Founded by James Purdey & Sons and Taste of Game, the Eat Game Awards are aimed at celebrating wild, sustainable meat and recognising talent and culinary achievements throughout Great Britain. Eat Game Awards high-profile ambassadors include Michelin starred Elystan Street Chef Phil Howard and BBC Countryfile Presenter and Farmer Adam Henson.
Co-founder of the Awards and Chairman of Purdey, James Horne explains: “The Eat Game Awards are not only vital to help build the profile of this healthy, homegrown meat, they support and encourage small businesses championing this industry. Local and national recognition through awards can have a significant effect on sales and credibility. It can give a business confidence to progress. I was overjoyed to see the huge number of small businesses that entered the awards last year and how they were deservedly celebrated and I’m hoping there will be even more this year.”
Last year’s winners included supermarket chain ALDI, winner of “Best Multiple Retailer Selling Game” and the Wild Meat Company, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, winner for the “Best Small Retailer Selling Game” category.
We now just have to get the consumer on board to nominate – that creative cook… evangelical butcher… or mouth-watering pheasant pâté at the local farmers’ market stall. “Eating game is one of life’s no-brainers,” says Chef Proprietor of Michelin starred Elystan Street, Phil Howard, “given that it is so abundant in this country. It is seasonal, and purely from an eating point of view works so incredibly well with the earthy flavours of autumn and winter vegetables – given a lift with perky preserves of elderberries and jellies. It’s local, lived happily and it’s lean, nutritious and cheap – and it tends to come in the hand or a box – not plastic.”
The Eat Game Awards celebrate the diversity, creativity and enterprise in the wild game world and they’re encouraging people to engage, spread the word and, most of all, reap the rewards and pleasures of eating game.
The Eat Game Awards (EGAs) were established in 2018 by three dedicated game advocates – James Horne, Chairman of Purdey and founder of Guns on Pegs, Annette Woolcock of Taste of Game and Ranald Macdonald, founder of award-winning Scottish restaurant group, Boisdale. Now in their second year, not only are the EGAs an original and national way of celebrating the innovators, creators and revolutionaries in the wild game world, they also give those less familiar with game the chance to get to know it better, and the confidence to include it in their regular culinary repertoires. The EGAs bring together the best chefs, farmers’ market stalls, creative producers, restaurants, pubs, butchers, estate managers and retailers in the country, all nominated and voted for by the general public.
Website…………………… www.eatgameawards.co.uk
Nominating & voting.. www.eatgameawards.co.uk/nomination
Social media handles w @eatgameawards (Instagram & Twitter)
w Eat Game Awards (Facebook)
* Key dates…………….. w Public nominations open for the EGAs open from 13 May until 1 November 2019
w Launch of public finalist voting: 15 November to 10 January 2020
w Awards dinner in central London: Tuesday, 11 February 2020
* Categories……………. 1) Best restaurant regularly serving game
2) Best pub regularly serving game
3) Best chef regularly cooking game
4) Best game farmer’s market stall including street food
5) Best added value game meat product
6) Best multiple retailer selling game
7) Best small retailer selling game
8) Best game butcher
9) Game hero
10) Champion of Champions (elected by the panel of judges, the winner of this category will go above and beyond in every area)
11) Scottish Champion
12) Best Teacher – Game Changer Project
13) Winner of 2018 winners
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