Mike Robinson's post Christmas food tips

“ Make use of the game in January, while it's still available. It's really good for you. Mike Robinson ”

On Christmas

I cook for my extended family every year. I don't open the restaurant on Christmas Day, I never have. I think it's important because I worked Christmas Day for so many years when I was a chef so I now won't do it anymore. I cooked for 12-15 people this year, which is relatively modest and I like to do something different every year.

This year, a friend and I reared a bunch of pigs. We got seven Oxford Sandy and Black pigs which we reared for four months. So I had shoulder of my own pork, slow cooked for 24 hours as well as roast pheasant. Luckily we don't have any vegetarians in my household!

On making Christmas dinner go that bit further...

After Christmas, I like to shred the meat down on a pheasant and turn it into a stir-fry and things like that. Turkey has only been a tradition for about 100 years, it's an American import. Traditionally we would have had beef and pork or goose. You can turn things like this into rillettes, which is like a French pate made with shredded pork, goose or duck (but not turkey, which is a bit too dry).

To make it, you cook something slowly like a pork shoulder, and what happens is the meat cooks in its own fat and it all falls to bits, which is terrific. Then you pull the meat off the bone, you warm it up, shred it into strands and mix it with goose fat, fresh thyme, sea salt and black pepper and pack it into pots and cover it with a layer of lard or butter. You can spread this on toast with chutney - delicious.

On eating plans for 2012

In the new year I'll be cooking lots of partridge, pheasant, wild duck and wild venison as we're still at the height of the gaming season. Just before Christmas I went hunting for deer, which went on the menu at my restaurant. They were hung up and their liver was on the menu that very night. It's really good.

Make use of the game in January, while it's still available. It's cheap, it's incredibly plentiful and it's incredibly low-fat, high in ant-oxidants and high in protein - really good for you.