A home economics teacher from Scotland who received death threats after letting her pupils butcher game animals to make “bunny burgers” and “pheasant jalfrezi” has been shortlisted for a national award.
Rachel Richards, from Kingussie High in the Highlands, has been nominated for the Eat Game Awards 2018 “game hero” prize, aimed at those who go the extra mile to showcase and promote game meat. Also nominated in the same category are TV chefs Jamie Oliver and James Martin.
Kingussie High sits in the Cairngorms National Park, near several large estates where hunting and shooting take place. When Ms Richards arrived at the school two years ago, from Hitchin Girls’ School in Hertfordshire, she was keen to use local, seasonal produce in her home economics lessons.
Ms Richards explained: “Game is free around here because the estates have so much left over from their shoots. They were happy to donate stuff to the school.”
So far, pupils in S3 (aged 13 and 14) have worked with pheasant, partridge, grouse, venison and rabbit.
When the pupils cooked rabbit, a boy who goes out shooting with his father provided the meat and led the lesson, demonstrating how to skin the animal and prepare the meat.
Pupils have made what Ms Richards calls “bunny burgers”, as well as curries and fajitas, to demonstrate that game meat can be used in the same way as meats they are more accustomed to, such as chicken.
However, when Ms Richards posted pictures of the S3 pupils skinning and gutting the game animals on the school’s Facebook page, they went viral and death threats followed, mainly from animal-rights activists in the US.
Now that the school is advertising for a new headteacher on Facebook - with current headteacher Ollie Bray leaving at the October break to work for the Lego Foundation - the trolling continues, with those who disapprove of the lessons posting disparaging comments.
They argue the pupils should be taught they can survive without eating meat.
Ms Richards said: “It’s getting to the point now of harassment and social media bullying.
“I do appreciate where people are coming from because my husband is a vegetarian but, as meat-eaters, the pupils should appreciate where their food is coming from.
“The lessons are delivered as part of the broad general education where we are looking at local seasonal produce and ethical issues around food like the difference between intensive battery farming and organic free range.”
The winners of the Eat Game Awards will be announced on Tuesday.
