Top of the Range Ruahine Venison Steaks product reviews

In my younger days I would have gone out and hunted for myself. In my younger days, my Koro would take us kids out in the bush to survive for a week off the land - everything from watercress and eel to huhu grubs and possum stew. He was a bit of a bushman really, He also taught all us kids how to handle a rifle and be able to take down a stag at 200 yards easily, 400 yards with a predictable wind if we had to. We ate good kai as kids, none of that McRubbish todays kids stuff their faces on.

I know venison, and I know good venison. This is really good venison. Lean andf tender, tasty and easy to cook. Even an old bugga like me with a face full of false teeth was able to eat it with no really big issues. Since I was up in the Waikato visiting some of the whanau, I was able to get this from the guy at KIWIreviews and arrive on the doorstep with a gift of good kai. I was offered the chance to cook it myself but I didn't really feel up to it after such a long trip so they took care of it and did a great job.

We had this cooked up on the BBQ, served up on a big heap of steamed greens and some wild herbs, a big heap of steamed veges and a pile of potato salad. It was pretty amazing alright, eh. For a retired gent like me, on a low income and tight budget, this is not a meat I get a shot at much these days, unless one of the tamariki has been out bush, so I was very grateful for the chance to try it again. If my money lets me and I can find it in the stores, I think I just might have to get some more of this.

While beef is a staple I grew up eating, and refuse to remove from my dietary life, venison is a meat I have had only a little experience eating and no experience cooking... so this was a real challenge for me. To be honest, I didn't know if I was going to be able to cook it properly, or risk overcooking it and wasting this beautiful meat!

With some trepidation, I planned out a menu I thought should, in theory, give me a good challenge but not so much that I risked ruining it all. A bed of potato and golden kumara mash with a little rosemary finely diced and mixed through, some broccoli that had been steamed in garlic-infused water, and pan-seared venison with a garlic, thyme & plum port jus drizzled over it. A bit ambitious, I thought, but I really wanted to treat this fine venison with some respect and not slap up something a bit passe like stir-fry and lumpy mash.

I think I managed to surprise my family with this meal, not only with the presentation, but also the sheer delight of having such a wonderful meat to try. Even my fussy 6yr old was keen to eat the meat - and considering most days he's bordering on vegetarianism, that's pretty telling! I found the venison so simple to cook, and despite being a bit on the "special treat" side of the budget line, it's really quite simple to cook.

Overall, while not an everyday staple for most people, this is certainly an affordable treat. Knowing the area in which the animal was living, I think it fairly safe to say that it is a very healthy meat too - lean, free of chemicals and introduced toxins, a good life leading to tender meat... couldn't ask for much better than that, really. I plan to get more of this as and when my budget allows, and though I can only find it at expos and shows at the moment, I know it's going to be readily available online in the very near future. (Apparently, it's available now in stores, but I am stumped trying to locate it anywhere I currently shop. So be sure to ask at your local meat stockist and see if they can/will get some in.)