London's top restaurants are facing a shortage of grouse this season, as wildfires and record heat have reduced the number and size of the wild birds. Chefs like Richard Corrigan of Corrigan's and Bentley's in Mayfair report that the birds are running about a week and a half late and will be smaller and fewer, according to comments made to The Guardian.
Wildfires and Heat Impact Grouse Supply
The UK has experienced severe wildfires on moors, burning habitats and killing wildlife, after a heatwave at the end of June that was the most severe ever recorded in Europe. This heat, made more likely and intense by human-caused global heating, has turned the landscape into a tinderbox. The intensive management of grouse moors, including draining peatland and burning vegetation, has been criticized by environmental experts for creating conditions that fuel wildfires, as dry peat smoulders and is hard to extinguish.
Corrigan said, “I was hoping to get something on the 12th; it’s looking like it’s running a week and a half late. They will be smaller and fewer, which is fine and it is a treat. We should treat them with the respect they deserve. The hot weather hasn’t helped everything this year, that’s for sure.” He also noted that he now insists on buying from small estates rather than large shoots, where dozens of birds are killed at a time, and refuses to purchase from moors associated with raptor persecution.
Chefs Adapt with Traditional and Modern Recipes
Henry Harris, chef-owner of Bouchon Racine in Farringdon, is also concerned. He said, “I will know today whether there’s been a problem. If they fly, they will be shot. If it is too hot, they will not fly. If the weather really is too hot, they tend to struggle to drive them up into the air, which will mean there are less birds out there.” He plans to serve grouse traditionally with a Gallic twist, on sourdough toast with paté, armagnac sauce, bread sauce, and game chips.
Corrigan, however, will offer a lighter option: “They will be on the menu barbecued with peaches and jalapeño. There is nothing better to eat than peaches from Provence and little spatchcocked grouse.”
Calls to Ban Grouse Shooting
The Scottish Greens have called for a ban on the Glorious Twelfth, the traditional start of the shooting season, arguing that moors are “intensively managed so that grouse can be killed for entertainment.” Ariane Burgess, rural affairs spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, said, “Scotland’s land is one of our greatest assets. It should be supporting thriving rural communities, restoring nature and tackling the climate crisis, rather than serving as a private playground for the wealthy few.” She added that the “real glorious future for Scotland’s moors would be seeing wildlife flourish on them, peatlands restored and rural jobs created through the recovery of our natural environment.”
