How we went wild about venison

Just over a year on from launching our Wild About Venison campaign, we’re reflecting on championing this nutritiously dense red meat and driving sustainability at scale.

“Deer We Go!” wrote The Sun after we announced a landmark shift in stadium catering: starting to swap out beef burgers for ones made from British Wild Venison. 

Wild About Venison is part of our Sustainable Swaps programme, where we’re rethinking ingredients across our menus, so we do better for people and planet, finding that sweet spot where planetary and personal health collide.

From reducing our use of beef and dairy to replacing salmon with trout on welfare grounds; using Wildfarmed flour grown in nature-rich fields, switching to rapeseed oil grown without glyphosate and swapping to rice that requires less water to grow, we're on a mission: to drive lasting change for people and planet – while still delivering exceptional food and drink experiences.

There are now thought to be more deer in the UK than at any point in over a thousand years. With an estimated population of more than
two million and no natural predators to keep numbers in balance, deer overpopulation has become a significant challenge to woodland restoration.

Across the country, deer are stripping woodland floors of young saplings, preventing natural regeneration, damaging biodiversity and contributing to the decline of species that depend on dense woodland habitat. 

For Levy, the solution was clear. If responsible deer management is needed to support healthier ecosystems, why not put this high-quality and nutritious ingredient into fantastic dishes?

Wild venison is one of the most nutrient-dense red meats around. High in protein, naturally lean and low in saturated fat and calories, 100g delivers 22.2g of protein, while containing just 103 calories and 1.6g of fat.

As a wild-harvested product, venison requires no feed crops, fertilisers or intensive farming systems.  

Compared with beef, wild venison has a carbon footprint around 85% lower per kilogram, making it an attractive choice for anyone looking to enjoy red meat while reducing environmental impact. That combination of nutrition, flavour and sustainability made wild venison an obvious candidate for our next big sustainable swap.

This year, wild venison has reached some of the biggest sporting and entertainment stages.

Our wild venison burgers and pies made their debut at Brentford FC with the Bees fans the first to tuck in. At Cheltenham Festival, more than 7,000 portions of local wild venison were served across hospitality and retail outlets. Over at another Levy partner venue, Allianz Stadium, almost 5,500 wild venison burgers were sold in a single month, including during the Women's Rugby World Cup Final. 

Our culinary teams have created some incredible wild venison dishes for our menus, from tartares to Wellingtons, ragùs, sausages, street food and sandwiches. What might have been once perceived as an old-fashioned meat has now become a modern hero ingredient.

The success of Wild About Venison has not gone unnoticed, recognised with a Higher Animal Welfare in Foodservice Award at the Footprint Awards.

More broadly, it forms part of a much wider sustainability story at Levy. Earlier this year, we were honoured to be named Sustainable Business of the Year at the Cateys, recognising our commitment to building a food system that is better for people and planet. 

From championing plant-forward menus, to creating Sustainable Swaps that help guests make lower-impact choices without sacrificing flavour, we're proving that sustainability works best when it starts with great food.