CONTRARY to popular belief, game is not just the preserve of the landed gentry but healthy, affordable meat that's surprisingly easy to obtain.

And, thanks to businesses like Border Fish and Game, you don't have to get your hands dirty with plucking and drawing to enjoy the fruits of your local shoot.

Businessman Jonny White from Nether Compton, near Sherborne, took over Border Fish and Game last month. The business was established more than two decades ago, and over that time has established itself as a trusted supplier of top quality fish and game.

Jonny, whose background is in marketing, grew up on a local farm. He first went beating at the age of six and has been a keen shooter and ferreter since he was a teenager. Jonny's close connections with farms and shoots across Somerset and Dorset mean he is able to source the finest pheasant, partridge, duck, venison, hare and rabbit.

Jonny's mother, Gill White, is a qualified account and is also part of the Border management team. They believe that, combined with the skilled butchers they employ and the enthusiasm of 20-year-old trainee Mark Weymouth, their shared marketing and finance expertise is just what the business needs to continue to develop and grow. They're even planning to expand into outside catering and events in the near future.

"I've always had an interest in the countryside and in country food," Jonny explained. "We've got a great team with a wide variety of skills. It's a wonderful opportunity to progress the business."

According to Jonny, we should all be eating more game. Not only is wild meat free-range in the true meaning of the word, it also tastes great and is very good for you.

"The unique flavour of game is hard to beat. It has been brought up in the wild and is a healthy option that's rich in nutrients. It's also affordable and incredibly versatile," he explained.

"Wild game is the only true, all-natural food. It contains no additives or preservatives, colours or flavourings, and far less fat - especially saturated fat - than domesticated animals."

As the name suggests, Border Fish and Game is also a supplier of fish and seafood. The range includes fresh and smoked salmon and trout, brill, prawns, mussels, scallops, crabs and lobsters. Jonny also has a few special Christmas lines including turkeys reared in Bishops Caundle and delicious handmade chocolates produced by award-winning Alweston chef John Tyldesley under the name of The Chocolate Workhouse.

Border Fish and Game's fine produce is sold in London restaurants. Closer to home, it's available from Holbrooks in Sturminster Newton, Roger Else Butchers in Stalbridge, Parsons Butchers in Sherborne and Wayne Pullen Butchers in Milborne Port. The business runs its own local delivery service for orders made by telephone or email, and customers are welcome to drop in at the Border Fish and Game headquarters at Unit Four on the Lynx West Trading Estate in Yeovil anytime between 8am and 4.30pm from Monday to Friday. The business also uses a local courier service to make deliveries further afield and will be launching a website in the new year.

For more information, call Jonny on 01935 429777, mobile 07854 625720 or email jonny@freshfishandgame.co.uk

Report and picture by Mathew Manning