Why Venison Is Good For You

Wild or farmed, venison is always a first-rate meat choice. Free-range and pasture-fed, it has a slightly finer grain than beef. If you have only ever tasted venison in the customary red wine marinade stew, you might have found it too robust – but don't be put off. A well-butchered cut of fresh venison shouldn't be tough or aggressively gamey; in fact, it's often easy to confuse it with beef. Now is a great time to buy wild venison; the deer are in top form after a summer of abundant feeding. Farmed venison is a less variable, more consistent meat in terms of eating quality, making it a sound year-round choice. Venison is very lean, so either cook it fast and high, or add extra fat (belly pork, bacon, butter, duck fat) to keep it moist.

Why is venison good for me?
It has more protein than any other red meat, which means that it sates the appetite really well. It is also particularly rich in iron (moreso than beef), which prevents anaemia and is good for energy levels. It's full of B vitamins: B2 (riboflavin) and B3 (niacin), which help regulate metabolism; and vitamin B6 and B12, which may lower homocysteine build-up in the blood, thus lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Thanks to all the wild and pasture food that deer eat, the small amount of fat in venison is likely to contain high levels of conjugated linoleic acid, which is thought to protect against heart disease and cancer.