Game Season and the Jugged Hare

Last Updated on September 7, 2025

No Grousing about this Game Feast for the Eyes and the Palate.

4.2 out of 5.0 stars

The Jugged Hare has long been one of my favourite London game restaurants. In the shadow of the brutalist Barbican Centre, it has the easy warmth of a country pub, and despite being in the heart of the City, it serves the kind of seasonal British produce that makes it a standout. So when an invitation arrived for a Glorious 12th Dinner, the traditional celebration marking the start of red grouse season, I jumped at the chance.

As it turned out, fate and the weather weren’t on our side this year, and the grouse didn’t make an appearance even at this well-known London game restaurant. But any disappointment was quickly forgotten: the kitchen still put on a feast that more than lived up to the occasion.

This year’s Glorious 12th was a timely reminder of how deeply the game season is tied to both history and the rhythms of the countryside. The tradition dates back to the Game Act of 1831, which fixed open and closed seasons for different game birds. The reasoning was practical: to protect birds while they were nesting and raising chicks, but still leave space for shooting both as a sporting pursuit and a way of protecting crops.

By August, grouse chicks are usually strong enough to fly, and with much of the harvest in, farm workers could once lend a hand on the moors. In theory, the date, 12 August, was meant to align with nature’s cycle, but of course, nature doesn’t always keep to the calendar.

This year, a sodden spring followed by searing heatwaves left grouse numbers struggling, and when the 12th itself arrived, the temperatures were simply too high for shooting. By the time of our dinner, on the 14th, there was no grouse to be had at all.

If the grouse were absent, the kitchen more than made up for it with a menu that felt like a celebration in its own right and the kind of spread I’d happily order for a birthday, an anniversary, or really, any excuse at all.

We began with generous sharing boards: house-cured charcuterie, black pudding croquettes, a perfect little scotch egg, and fresh trout paired with fennel and samphire. The showstopper, though, was the venison tartare, served dramatically in a split bone topped with game crisps – rich, silky and deeply satisfying.

The mains continued the theme of abundance. There was jugged hare, tender and rich, with sides of bacon-laced savoy cabbage and buttery mash. A house-made muntjac sausage brought something a little different to the table, while a lobster and prawn pie, crowned with yet more mash, added a celebratory flourish.

It was, unmistakably, a feast of British game. And what I loved most was the sense of respect for the produce. The muntjac sausage, for instance, was a nod to good kitchen management and nose-to-tail dining. Growing up in the countryside, I don’t remember seeing muntjac at all, yet today these small deer are a common sight in England. Originally from South and South East Asia, they were introduced to the UK by the Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey in the early 20th century and have since spread so widely that they’re now often considered invasive, stripping woodland vegetation and even raiding birds’ nests for eggs.

Hare, too, plays a role in this balance: wild populations are still managed through shooting, in part to reduce crop loss. On the plate, though, both hare and muntjac felt perfectly at home at this London game restaurant, a reminder of how cookery can turn management of the land into something worth celebrating.

The kitchen at The Jugged Hare is led by Head Chef Raf Liuth, whose story is as unexpected as it is inspiring. Born in rural Brazil, he grew up in a vegan household where everything was made from scratch and nothing came from a supermarket. It’s a background that has shaped his cooking philosophy: a commitment to zero-waste and making the most of what’s fresh, available, and sometimes overlooked.

Since joining the ETM group in 2015 and taking the reins at The Jugged Hare in 2019, Raf has built a collaborative kitchen where chefs rotate through each section, honing skills and sharing ideas. It’s a dynamic approach for this London game restaurant that feeds into the menu; ever-changing, seasonal, and always imaginative.

That creativity shone through at the end of our meal, when we were offered a taste of Raf’s latest experiment: a housemade cherry drink, like a playful, cherry-scented take on limoncello, served just before dessert. The finale itself was perfectly judged, a light lemon frost topped with crisp meringue, delicate yet piquant enough to close such a rich and hearty feast.

And while the grouse may have eluded us this time, it gives me the perfect excuse to return. Because if there’s one thing The Jugged Hare promises, it’s that there will always be something worth celebrating on the table. It’s the perfect London game restaurant.

If you’d like to try red grouse, The Jugged Hare should have availability throughout the season. Call to check on the day.

The Jugged Hare
 49 Chiswell St,
Barbican
London EC1Y 4SA

telephone 020 8161 0190