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Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Everyday Venison was announced the Country Winner in the category E12 Game Meat by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. In May 2023 Everyday Venison was awarded “The Best Game Meat Cook Book in the World”, at the esteemed Gourmand World Cook Book Awards.

Press Release

Local Cookbook, “Everyday Venison,” Clinches Prestigious World Gourmand Award

Umea, May 2023 –  Leslie van der Merwe’s creation, “Everyday Venison,” was crowned the Best Game Meat Cook Book in the World at the esteemed Gourmand Awards Ceremony.

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, an institution founded in 1995 by the visionary Edouard Cointreau, remains the pinnacle celebration of exceptional food and wine culture literature. The competition, which assessed over 100,000 books and publications from an impressive 230 countries, has solidified its reputation as the definitive global authority in the realm of culinary literary recognition.

In response to the exponential growth in the popularity of game meat recipe books, the organizers introduced a new category exclusively dedicated to honoring this burgeoning genre. “Everyday Venison” emerged victorious, triumphing over a competitive lineup that featured remarkable entries from France, Germany, and New Zealand.

Through “Everyday Venison,” Leslie van der Merwe has artfully curated a collection of modern recipes that captures the essence of game meat cuisine, and elevating it to new heights.

“This award is a tremendous honor and validation of the passion and effort poured into crafting ‘Everyday Venison.’ I am humbled to have been recognized on such a global stage and am grateful for the opportunity to share my love for game meat cooking with a diverse audience,” remarked an elated Leslie van der Merwe.

The runner-up titles from France, Germany, and New Zealand further underscore the fierce competition faced by “Everyday Venison,” cementing its status as an extraordinary culinary masterpiece that has resonated with connoisseurs across the globe.

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Duck Breast Sandwich

Duck Breast Sandwich

Ducks and teal are the best tasting gamebird!  They are best served rare,with the skin cooked crispy.  Be careful,  overcooked duck is leathery,with an unpalatable livery taste and a waste of fine food.  This recipe can be served as a starter, or used to fill a bread roll and serve as lunch in the veld.
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Course Appetizer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 yellow-billedduck breast or 2 red-billed teal breasts per hunter
  • Duck fat or olive oil
  • 1 French loaf or similar bread with a crispy crust
  • Mayonnaise
  • Fresh rocket
  • Coarse salt and black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Slice and lightly toast the bread.
  • Pluck the breast feathers gently without tearing the skin, as this together with the layer of fat is where a lot of the flavour comes from.  With a sharp thin bladed knife cut alongside the keel ridge, the centre crest separating the two breasts, and remove the meat from the bone. Remove the little tufts of new feathers with a Leatherman or similar pliers.  To ensure the skin crisps when cooked, lay the breasts skin side up, and cover the skin with a good layer of salt.  After five minutes scrape the salt off with the back of a knife.
  • Add a teaspoon of duck fat to a frying pan and when hot, place the breasts skin side down and fry for 3-5 minutes, flip and fry for 1-2 minutes, and the stand on the thick side for 30 seconds to brown.  Remove from the pan and allow to rest for five minutes.
  • Yellow-billed duck breasts are larger and thicker than red-billed teal, so a bit of experimenting with cooking times is helpful.  As with many things in life,here less is more! 

Notes

Slice thinly and place on the toasted bread, together with some rocket, a squeeze of mayonnaise and season with black pepper.

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