Spent a lovely summer weekend camping at Knepp Safaris and my oh my, how inspiring it was to go on the dusk safari and hear our tour guide talk with such enthusiasm about how they’re taking the land back to the way it was 100 years ago.

We spotted beautiful deer, amazing longhorn cattle and the healthiest, happiest Tamworth pigs I’ve ever seen in my life… albeit a short-lived experience as they dashed through the undergrowth.

Their story is an interesting one. Years of farming land that was difficult to work with resulted in the brave decision to create an eco-wilderness. You’ve got to love their vision. And I particularly like the way they have such a collaborative approach, from scientists and ecologists to ancient woodland experts.

Provenance is the cornerstone of everything we do here at Sussex Gourmand. Our beef is from a local farm situated in the South Downs National Park and it has high standards of animal welfare as well as protecting the natural environment. Our butcher, Barfields is one of those rare breeds… they use traditional methods and care passionately about quality. Our venison is wild. In fact, Sussex is truly spoilt by its prevalence of deer, which makes it a really sustainable, ethical meat. And all the rest of the ingredients we use are home grown, from local organic suppliers, or locally sourced for optimum flavour and quality.