So it’s late December 2010 and one of those innocent New Year's ideas comes to my mind - “I wonder if I can pledge to only eat meat that I have hunted or gathered for a year?”

Meat is a well discussed topic in my home.  My partner is Vegetarian, my daughter does eat meat but can be a bit uncomfortable with meat on a bone or meat that resembles the actual animal. We have regularly eaten a fair proportion of vegetarian dishes and always choose veggie sausages and burgers over the real meat versions. But I do like to eat meat, and during a  discussion with my daughter about the ethics of hunting wild animals some months earlier we both concluded that if you want to eat meat that hunting a wild animal is the way to go – even if it is just for a while.

Obviously many people have very strong opinions about what they eat and I completely respect that.   My opinions are based on the fact that meat has always been an important source of nutrition to humans and I enjoy eating it but I do feel that many people take it for granted. To me it is a privilege to eat meat and one that I appreciate more now that it is down to me to find it.

So what are the “rules” of my trial? Well,  the primary objective is to only eat meat that I have either hunted (killed by me) or gathered (foraged or collected).   The only concession to this, which has only so far been used once, is in feeding guests.  Then, free range organic meat was used as the most ethically sourced meat I could obtain. It is my trial and not for everyone around me to endure.

I’m six months in and so far I have eaten:

• Hunted - 1 rabbit, 2 wood pigeons and 3 grey squirrels.
• Gathered – 1 rabbit, 1 grey squirrel, 1 pheasant, 1 coot and a number of woodlice

After portioning up the rabbit and squirrel that works out at around, 1 meat based meal every three weeks. I’m not certainly not overdosing on meat but my style is more opportunist than dedicated hunter. My butchery skills of small creatures has improved and it’s amazing how much appreciation you get when you have some meat when it has taken so much time and effort to get it.

I certainly feel that anyone who eats meat should experience at least once what is required to take a creatures life, process it and cook it. It might put some people off from eating meat, it will make others appreciate how privileged we are in our supermarket lifestyles but it will certainly be an experience that will influence them in some way to consider what they eat with a bit more thought.

see also

https://www.woodlands.co.uk/tv/2010/08/butchering-and-cooking-a-squirrel-caught-in-the-woods/

to be continued .......