‘Every year when August 12 comes round I get so many trolls on my Twitter feed, telling me about lead poisoning, about hen harriers, but I cannot let great recipes die just to be politically correct.’ says the Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin, whose Edinburgh restaurant specialises in all sorts of game (as quoted in The Times).
This chef and restaurateur reckons that selling game regardless of its health impacts and sustainability credentials is political correctness – no doubt, political correctness gone mad! Michelin-starred restaurant – why?
How about demanding that your game to be supplied from users of non-toxic shot for a start?
There is an industry that benefits from grouse shooting that doesn’t give a fig about people or the environment – that’s why the Scottish Government is moving towards licensing of shooting estates (good for them!) whereas Defra sits alongside the grouse shooting industry and does nothing.
Please sign Gavin Gamble’s e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting – it’s clear that the voluntary approach has failed completely..
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I wonder if he still puts Blackbirds in his pies just so he can keep up with tradition?
I’m not sure he knows what ‘political correctness’ is…
Increasingly claiming something is “politically correct” means little more than “I don’t like it”. It’s usually invoked by the right-inclined as an excuse not to think about issues that may challenge their lazy, cosy assumptions. More often than not its the verbal equivalent of sticking your head in the sand.
Spot on John. It’s like his use of the word “trolls”. A troll is “One who posts a deliberately provocative message with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.” But it’s increasingly being used, as Tom Kitchen uses it here, to mean “Anyone on the Internet who disagrees with me.” So much easier to dismiss them as trolls than actually think about what they’re saying, isn’t it?
Has it ever meant anything other than that?
I wonder if Michelin knows that their “star” chef uses game shot with lead and with no sustainability credentials? Would they care?
john – I was wondering that too. I think I’ll ask them
I ate in the Art School in Liverpool for my anniversary last year. This reastutsnt was widly tipped as being in line for a Michelin Star. It was very nice, and afterwards the chef comes round and chats with you. I pointed out that he had pheasant on the menu, and before I could make my point lead shot, raptor killing etc, he said the pheasant was from the Rhugg Estate in Wales and in this case was slaughtered. Without any prompting from me he stated that they don’t serve grouse, for the reason we all know about. He went on to say that he is careful about where he take his game and will take shot game.
Perhaps this attitude was one of the reasons a Michelin Star wasn’t forthcoming.
Also the Govt’s own food advice is “Eating lead-shot game on a frequent basis can expose consumers to potentially harmful levels of lead.” and “There is no agreed safe level for lead intake. Independent scientific expert groups across the European Union advise that exposure to lead should be reduced as far as possible.”
https://www.food.gov.uk/science/advice-to-frequent-eaters-of-game-shot-with-lead
The easiest way to avoid lead shot is to avoid eating game. So not a PC issue, but government advice. At the very least TK should have a notice on the menu saying “not suitable for children or pregnant women”.
Oh, that is brilliant, Mark:-)
There are numerous Michelin-starred restaurants – I worked in a number over the years. The last thing they care about it sustainability. These fellows on the other hand:
http://www.thesra.org/
Presumably he’s declared potential risk to clients health to his insurers, as well as details of his suppliers etc.?
Presumably also he’s got a notice somewhere that there is the risk of lead ingestion if he does source shot game?
One assumes he must be comfortable with his stance and confident that his business will not suffer by his continued support of lead shot game?
Why is it that whenever someone disagrees with the shooting lobby its “political”?…as though any dissenters from their [very much minority in terms of our population] view are somehow from a narrow group of political dissidents….The facts are that the great majority of the public support nature conservation but their views are being ignored and overruled by a powerful feudal elite with a stranglehold on our parliamentary and justice systems.
Well said, Dave:-)
He’s happy to let birds die, whether legal targets or not, but not something inanimate like a recipe. And they’re only great in who’s opinion? Pure self interest and an eye on profit.
Maybe review his book on Amazon?
I’m a keen cook (and foodie eater) and I also have an interest in the social history of both the countryside and cooking. So I ought to be sympathetic to Tom Kitchen’s point of view… but I’m not.
First, he doesn’t have to abandon his great recipes. He could source his grouse from walked-up shooting and polish up his sustainability credentials (ie add a bit on to the price) in the same way as dived scallops command rightly a premium over dredged. He’s probably not a big enough player in the market to influence the choice of shot, but he could at least acknowledge the issue.
But second… well what we eat changes. Sometimes old recipes are resurrected for good reasons – like the revival in offal – but others like turtle soup, roast crane, or cowslip fritters are rightly now historical curiosities. Turtle soup in particular was by all accounts a very tasty, high status, very traditional parallel to roast grouse. Would he put turtle soup back on his menu? I don’t think so. There are modern equivalents in other cultures too – would he defend other people eating chimpanzee, elephant, or sharks’ fin? Or is it only challenges to white British aristocracy’s “traditions” that he dismisses as being motivated only by political correctness?
Sadly I think he knows his market, or thinks he does, and I guess people like us aren’t an influential part of his customer base. Well OK, he can pander to his own gallery, but he should expect criticism from everyone else if he does. And I won’t be buying his book – which otherwise I probably would have.
Excellent!
What a clown.
I’d also point out that politely raising a legitimate query about the ethics (or lack thereof) of grouse shooting does not make someone a ‘troll’.
Yes you can, mate. And its got nothing to do with political correctness – your selling dangerous food that destroys the environment.
It’s a wonder he/they’ve not sought to relaunch the ancient texts which detail cooking of bitterns, cranes, swans etc.?
Mrs Beeton probably had a few dodgy recipes by todays standards, although maybe she’d be dismissed as a mere female ‘cook’ ….
Isn’t the craft and mark of a true chef one which involves creativity and adaptation / improvisation? Perhaps he’s just not capable of, or prepared to use ‘PC’ acceptable and safe alternatives?
Possibly also holds the view that any publicity is also good?
Oh dear! Just like the tradition of drinking water stopped once lead pipes were phased out, we reverted back to horse and cart when lead in petrol was phased out, and nobody paints their houses any more. As for fishing, nobody does that anymore since they banned lead-weights.