Our restaurant of the month is with rooms – in the picturesque village of Arundel, West Sussex. Chef Luke Hackman is a true fan of British  game, serving only the best local meat and turning it into wonderful gourmet creations such as braised loin of rabbit paired with honey and grain mustard sauce. Luke’s expert attention to detail and presentation really make for a special meal in the intimate restaurant, and travellers will love the divine boutique-style bedrooms.

Restaurant of the Month February 2010

Arundel House
11 High Street
Arundel
West Sussex
BN18 9AD
Tel: 01903 882136
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www.arundelhouseonline.com

• Name of chef?
  Luke Hackman


• What is chef’s favourite game dish?
  Roasted Saddle of Local Venison, served rare, with a Morel Sauce would have to be up there with the best. I just wish I could find my own Morel’s on my ambles in the woods. Very elusive! Of course, there are times when I yearn for the comfort offered by Slow Braised Loin of Rabbit in a Honey and Grain Mustard Sauce with a generous helping of soft, fluffy mashed potato to take up all of the juices.


• What is chef’s favourite tipple to go with the game dish?
  It entirely depends on the game itself and the way I am preparing it, although there is always something a little primitive and a touch earthy about game that often calls for a wine with similar qualities. Traditional and mature Red Burgundies have long been famous for their fleshy ‘farmyard’ aromas and I am certainly fond of these wines. Of course there are lighter and fruitier styles of Red Burgundy to be had. Dependent on the accompanying flavours and the lightness of the sauce, these ‘cherry and raspberry’ Pinot Noir wines can fit the bill nicely.
  
  The trouble is that my enjoyment of game always increases as the temperature decreases, and through the autumn and winter I can’t help but open a Chateauneuf du Pape or perhaps a big Crozes Hermitage! You know, one of those ‘If I had a fire at home I’d probably light it up and lose an evening‘ types of wine!
  
  For a rich game casserole, remember that if you wouldn’t drink the wine, it shouldn’t go in the pot. Buy two bottles of something you love. One for the chef and the pot, one for the table. Anyway those are just my thoughts. You don’t need to stick with French wines, because an Australian Shiraz would work as well as the Northern Rhone, and there is some great Pinot Noir to be had from New Zealand and Chile. I have also enjoyed a rich, but not necessarily oaken, Chardonnay with Partridge.
  
  As for when I’m shooting game, I have never been a whisky man, so it’s a responsible measure of Sloe Gin all the way. Homemade of course.


• What types of game are served on the menu?
  In alphabetical order, because it seems only fair to the less popular choices, we serve Grouse, Hare, Mallard, Partridge, Pheasant, Pigeon, Rabbit and Venison.


• Is game a popular choice on the menu?
  Game is certainly a popular choice on the menu, and I think it is safe to say that we have introduced a lot of people to the idea of eating game since arriving in Arundel. Perhaps we have built a small reputation based on the game we serve that gives people the confidence to try? We’ve also brought game back to a generation that once thought of game as a staple choice. Our slow braised rabbit is a case in point, with many customers reminiscing about their mothers recipe for this often overlooked meat. They also rue the fact that you don’t see it on restaurant menus or in butchers’ windows as much as you used to. That’s fashion for you.


• Where do you get your game from?
  Every bit of it comes from M.J. Penfolds of Chichester, a family butcher of note and supplier to some of the best restaurants in West Sussex. Worthy of the outrageous opportunity I have taken to promote them!


• Is that fact that game is a seasonal dish a positive factor?
  The very fact that it is seasonal is a positive factor. The saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder could not be more apt, and the return of flash fried Pigeon Breast to the menu, or the autumnal arrival of Pheasant is something our customers can truly look forward to. We rarely have Beef on our menus and so people find the return of Venison a real treat! It is great that our customers are discovering game through magazines, television and websites like Game-to-Eat, and learning to appreciate it at its best through the year, as they might with locally caught Lobster and Crab, or of ripe English Strawberries in the summer.