Autumn is prime time for game and, this week, chef and culinary explorer Valentine Warner goes in search of venison, partridge and duck.

Valentine believes that venison is the quintessential autumn meat and benefits from being cooked simply. He wants to make a venison pie so travels to the Ardlussa Estate – home to one of the last pure breeds of red deer – on the remote island of Jura, in Scotland’s Western Isles.

With deer outnumbering the islanders 25 to one, Valentine is guaranteed to see a stag, but hunting one may be less straightforward. He enlists the help of local expert Ewen MacInnes, who’s been stalking on Jura for 18 years and knows the terrain like the back of his hand. (more…)

Culinary adventurer Valentine Warner turns his attention this week to some of his favourite autumn vegetables – pumpkin, onion and beetroot.

Valentine believes beetroot is sadly misunderstood and, when cooked from fresh, it can be amazing. This honey-sweet crimson beauty makes amazing iron-rich salads and soups.

To find the very best variety for his beetroot with green sauce recipe, Valentine visits Spencer Christy, a biodynamic farmer in Essex who believes that the lunar cycles affect the growth of plants and follows an astronomical sowing and planting calendar.

One of Valentine’s lasting childhood memories is the taste of his dad’s perfect pumpkin soup. Armed with this very special recipe, he heads to Banbury, home of American farmer Greg Klaes who specialises in vegetable growing with a penchant for pumpkins. Using four different varieties, Valentine follows his father’s recipe inviting Greg and his family to put it to the test. (more…)

Culinary explorer and chef Valentine Warner continues his journey around the UK, combining his great passions for food and nature as he searches for the best of natural autumn fare. This week, he is mad for fungi.

Working in harmony with the season and the natural produce available, Valentine captures the intensity of flavour which seasonal produce provides. On the menu are his favourite foraged foods: blackberries, hazelnuts and wild mushrooms.

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Valentine Warner goes hunting for the best autumn meat in What To Eat Now

His philosophy is to work in harmony with nature to capture the intensity of flavour which seasonal produce provides. In the first episode autumn meat is on the menu, including lamb, rabbit and venison.

Valentine is a firm believer that the best lamb is born rather than eaten in spring. Having grazed on summer grass, lamb is at its most flavoursome in autumn. To find wonderfully dark, rich and succulent meat he heads to Snowdonia to meet sheep farmer Alun Edwards, who gave up his acting career to run his father’s sheep farm. Valentine cooks a roast shoulder of lamb with bitter herbs and honey.

Vindolanda, the remains of a Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, is under attack again – this time from rabbits. Justin Blake, one of the archaeologists concerned by the damage to the site, keeps the rabbit numbers down with a shotgun. Valentine suggests using an air rifle (it’s quieter) and then cooks a delicious dish for the volunteers – rabbit with peas, cider and lettuce.

Valentine believes that venison, which benefits from being cooked simply, is the quintessential autumn meat. To make a venison pie, he travels to the Ardlussa Estate on the remote island of Jura, in Scotland’s Western Isles. It is home to one of the last pure breeds of red deer. With deer outnumbering the islanders by 25 to 1, Valentine is sure to see a stag, but hunting one may not be so straightforward. He enlists the help of local expert Ewen MacInnes, who has been stalking on Jura for the last 18 years.