Avoiding those dental disasters

A handheld metal detector could well be the way forward when cooking with steel-shot game, says Guy Maddocks

- Guy Maddocks

Cooking game that you have hunted, prepared and lovingly cooked is a passion many of us game shots have in common. The joy you get sharing your catch with friends and loved ones is unequalled, but deep down there is always a hint of trepidation, a nagging worry that one of your guests will be the unfortunate soul who bites on to that single wayward bit of shot, taking the edge off your spectacular dinner party. While guests laugh and chat and commend you on the wonderful food, you catch sight of your unfortunate guest putting hand to jaw to check all is well, while the single pellet sits hauntingly on the side of their plate.

The problem with shot has now moved into a different league, as with the forthcoming ban on lead shot, steel shot looks like lead’s most popular replacement.

Undetected

The problem with steel shot was emphasised to me when eating a game pie I had made for the shoot elevenses late last season. I fell foul of one of Eley’s finest No 3 steel shots, which had snuck through undetected in my otherwise delicious pie, made worse by the fact that it was one of my own pellets. My God was it painful.

Biting into lead shot is not pleasant but is forgettable — by its nature it is soft, while steel is not. And being of an age where one’s teeth are not as solid as they once were, I was lucky to avoid  a very expensive visit to the dentist on this occasion, but I suffered with a dull pain for weeks after.