Venison

Much of the Scottish venison meat is from deer that roam freely, rather than being farmed. Good quality venison is tender, tasty and close textured, which means it’s easy to produce great recipe dishes.

Four species are used for food in Scotland: the red deer (iconic of the Scottish Highlands); the roe (the smallest and considered the best by many cooks), sika and fallow.

Meat from deer has been important in the human diet since prehistoric times. The term venison (from the Latin venari – to hunt) originally referred to meat from any wild animal.

For centuries, deer parks owned by European aristocrats have been used as a source of sport and high quality food. This concentration of valuable meat with access restricted to the elite few has long been a source of conflict between poacher and gamekeeper.