Experienced Kirkcaldy foodbank volunteer Ann Connell can see the “self-esteem boost” that pheasant curry and venison Bolognese can give to struggling Fifers.
That’s because Kirkcaldy Foodbank, like others around the UK, receives donations from food poverty charity The Country Food Trust.
The charity works with estates, shoots and game dealers around the country, using game – that’s shot pheasant and deer in this case – to create protein-rich dishes like pheasant casserole, curry and venison Bolognese.
Ann, 71, has volunteered at the Kirkcaldy Foodbank for the last seven years. She says most of her clients are accustomed to more “basic” food packages.
“It really boosts their self esteem,” Ann says.
“The first couple of weeks people are so low. Just to have that lovely treat makes all the difference.”
What is it like to suddenly have ‘nothing’?
“We spent £26,000 last month,” Ann tells me.
“That’s how many people in Kirkcaldy need help with food.”
Ann and her fellow Fife volunteers are on the front lines of the cost of living crisis.
“Imagine,” she goes on.
“You’ve just lost your job. You haven’t got any savings behind you.
“You get one of our basic packs.
“This is based on dietary needs. So we give tins and pasta, with Bolognese sauce, korma sauce, that kind of thing. Plus eggs, cheese, ham and fresh milk.
“You’ve been working full time before now.
“You’re used to maybe going out to eat once a week before.
“Now you’ve got nothing, and you’re coming to a foodbank.”
Venison and pheasant meals a ‘lovely treat’ for Kirkcaldy foodbank users
The situation for many using foodbanks is dire, says Ann.
“You’re maybe worried about selling your car, selling your house, you could be behind on your weekly rent.
“It could be lots of things. Everyone is an individual case.
“And then you’ve got this lovely treat.
“Somebody says to you: ‘Would you like to try pheasant curry and venison Bolognese?'”
The filling game-based meals have gone down well with those who have visited Kirkcaldy foodbank.
Ann continues: “And they come back the next week and they go: ‘Oh, that was so nice, to have something nice on a Saturday night.'”
The meals include pheasant curry, pheasant casserole, venison Bolognese, turkey casserole and lentil curry.
“You could be in so many situations,” continues Ann.
“There could be a single guy whose wife has moved out and he’s never cooked in his life.
“And it doesn’t need cooked or put in the fridge, so he won’t poison himself.
“Or there could be a girl who’s moved out from her parents and has never cooked in her life.
“So it’s just a nice change for people to have these meals.
“We get things that have tomorrow’s date on it, which can restrict people.
“But with these pouches, it gives them the dignity of choice.
“They can have them when they feel like it.”
‘Very high quality’ meals
George Wilcock also volunteers at the Kirkcaldy Foodbank.
He adds: “Venison is not a cheap meat, nor is pheasant. They are very high quality.
“And because the meals come in these pouches, they’re very easy to cook.
“You don’t need to be a specialist.
“And they also come cooked, so you don’t even need to heat them up.
“That is very helpful, as some people come to the foodbanks haven’t even got cookers.”
‘There is a need – and we have a magic ingredient’
Timothy Laing is a landowner at Baldarroch Estate, Perthshire. He is one of the local suppliers for The Country Food Trust.
He says: “We have been donating to The Country Food Trust for two years now, for them to turn into meals.”
“It’s fantastic,” Timothy adds.
“First of all, there is a need. And we have a magic ingredient.
“Wild game is incredibly healthy. It’s very low in fat and it’s very nutritious.
“And there’s plenty of it.
“For us to know that it’s actually going to be feeding people who otherwise wouldn’t get a source of protein like this, it’s absolutely fantastic.
“I think it’s the most exciting charity that’s come to light in recent years,” adds the 69-year-old.
He adds that any other local foodbanks that would like to offer these meal pouches should get in touch with The Country Food Trust.
He also called upon other estates to consider donating to the charity.
“If they have surplus game which would otherwise be going to a gamekeeper,” he says, “they absolutely should be making that wild game available.”
Protein ‘most expensive’ food group
SJ Hunt is the chief executive of The Country Food Trust, which was set up in 2015.
The charity was recently awarded Game Champion of the Year at the Scottish Game Fair.
The Scottish Game Awards 2024 were “designed to celebrate the outstanding contributions of sporting estates, game dealers, gamekeepers, and ghillies in supporting people, jobs, and nature”.
The charity’s aim – says SJ – is to be the “protein provider” for those living in food poverty.
“That’s our sole focus, trying to get as much protein out to people as possible,” she says.
“It’s one of the most important food groups for human health.
“And unfortunately, it’s the most expensive.
“Therefore, it’s the one that is dropped first when people are suffering food insecurity.
“So we thought, that’s the one we can focus on.”
She adds: “The way we chose to do it was by utilising some of the wonderful meat we have in this country that is harvested for us in the countryside, and getting that out to people in rural and urban environments as quickly as possible.
“We work with shoots, game dealers and estates across the country and we will send that meat, raw, to community kitchens who create meals onsite.
“This is normally to cover vulnerable groups like single parents groups, senior citizens lunches and after school clubs, to make sure people have a fresh hot meal in the day.
“And large quantities of meat that we procure are also made into our ambient meals.”
Most people linked to game are aware the industry doesn’t always enjoy the best reputation.
While ‘dumping’ dead birds is strictly against the British Association of Shooting and Conservation’s code of practice, reports of the practice sporadically appear, leading to damaging headlines.
But SJ argues the meat used in their meals would not otherwise go to waste.
“That isn’t our story,” she tells me.
“We actually approach the shoots and ask them to consider giving us the game, rather than it going to the guns, or it being sold to other establishments.
“We’ve had some very rewarding conversations with estates, and they pay for the processing of the meat as well. It comes to us in raw meat form for free. We don’t deem it a waste product.
“This is a wonderful meat, and by working closely with the shoots and the estates, we are getting it at source.”
Aim to ‘help them get protein on the table for their family and loved ones’
The meals wind up at foodbanks like the one where Ann and George volunteer, in Kirkcaldy.
“These are pressure-cooked, and they have a 12-month shelf life from manufacture,” continues SJ.
“And as they’re ambient, therefore they only need to be stored in the cupboard, with no refrigeration needed.
“These are fully-cooked wet meals – you can literally rip the top open and eat it.
“They could be heated up in the microwave and eaten with bread, or they can be part of a wider meal.”
SJ suggested that people can turn the venison Bolognese into dishes like lasagne, chilli, moussaka or shepherd’s pie.
In Scotland, the charity has delivered an enormous 350,000 meals in the past eight years, with 62,290 delivered in the past 12 months.
“We’re very proud of that,” adds SJ.
“We work tirelessly around the country to ensure that as much of that protein as possible is sent to the people suffering food insecurity.
“To help them get protein on the table for their family and loved ones.”
Conversation