There's still time for a last barbecue with some of the fantastic meat available.
In some of their stores, Marks & Spencer have a delicious range of venison steaks and sausages from their Irish supplier, Oisin, at the Finnebrogue Estate in Ireland. The deer are raised on the 600-acre estate without antibiotics or growth hormones, and the naturally lean meat has a great flavour, and is low in fat and cholesterol.
If you're still slightly wary of venison and are put off by its dark appearance (remember ostrich?) Donald Russell Direct does several introductory packs of different cuts. This reliable Aberdeenshire firm does wonderful meat from beef to game and delicious Loue chickens from France. They also do great sausages and burgers. www.donaldrussell.com; 01467 629666.
The Moorland Association argues that the tradition of grouse shooting that continues until 12 December is what has maintained the heathland landscape of northern England and Scotland. This is genuinely shooting for the pot - grouse is so highly prized on menus that there isn't the increasingly reprehensible wastage that there is from commercial pheasant shoots. The Association has brought out an online set of recipes from very grand folk, including the Duchess of Devonshire, who dish it up on a regular basis. www.moorlandassociation.org.
Good mail-order sources of meat and game: Blackmount Organics, www.blackmountfoods.com. Lakeland Herdwick will send you whole or half lambs, all cut and packed for the freezer, and it is delicious! Details: 015395 312240; herdwick@ktdinternet.com. Also delicious is Jane Kalloway's award-winning Manx Loghtan lamb - a low-fat darkish meat with a distinctive flavour - from her Langley Chase farm. She will send whole and half lambs at £9 a kilo, ready jointed. Details: 01249 750 095, post@langleychase.co.uk. And I loved the veal from Eastbrook Farm - a recent Soil Association award-winner - (01793 790460, www.helenbrowningorganics.co.uk). From further afield, the Argentine beef from Pampas Plains (no artificial feed or hormones) is so tender it virtually cuts with a fork. They've just started doing yummy chorizo sausages - great for those rich Italian stews Ursula Ferrigno does so well. Info@pampasplains.com; 0845 130 6123.
But if you're feeling lazy, Bigham's have just brought out a brilliant Ramen Ginger Chicken ready-to-cook supper for two, which makes a delicious soup in less than 10 minutes. It comes with ready chopped marinated ingredients, plus stock, chopsticks and ladle, £5.99 from Waitrose.
Looking ahead ... the NFU is urging us to help our farmers by ensuring their Christmas turkey is British. Many breast or crown joints on sale will have come from as far as Poland and South America.
Breton leg of lamb
serves 6
500g dried white beans, like haricot
1 carrot
1 onion stuck with a clove
1 bouquet garni
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 leg of lamb about 2kg
75g butter
175g lean bacon in a piece, or a lean smoked gammon steak
300ml double cream
75g butter
soft white breadcrumbs
Soak the beans in lots of water overnight. Drain and place in a pan of cold water, then add the carrot, onion and bouquet garni. Bring to the boil, cover and cook until tender, about 50 minutes. Drain, remove the vegetables, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Spread the lamb with the butter and roast in the oven for 12 minutes per 500g. Season halfway through.
About 25 minutes before the meat is ready, finish the beans. Cube the bacon and brown in a hot pan. Add to the beans along with the cream and most of the butter. Place in a baking dish, cover with breadcrumbs, and dot with the remaining butter. Bake for 30 minutes alongside the lamb. Serve roast with the beans and its own juices in a separate dish.
· From Sunday Roast by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott (Kyle Cathie, £14.99)
