Facts on Rye’s wild boar

A HUNTSMAN has been commissioned to shoot a local wild boar to serve up at a week-long Rye food festival next week.

Wild Boar Week is now in its second year and replaces the Taste of Rye Festival.

Forester Al Ball is one of only 100 people in Sussex and Kent licensed to cull wild boar and has been asked by the George Hotel in Rye to bag a beast for the table.

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He will be hunting in the Udimore and Peasmarsh area, where there is now a large herd of wild boar.

Keeping to the wild theme, the Old Dairy Brewery at Rolvenden , will be producing a special batch of it’s Wild Hop ale, brewed using a hop found at Peter Cyster’s Northiam farm.

Restaurants will be serving the beast in all shapes and sizes. On offer at the Mermaid Inn is pressed belly of wild boar, with caramelised apple and black a pudding.

The Monastery presents a steak of wild boar while The Ship Inn goes the whole hog. For those not so keen, guinea fowl and pheasant will also make an appearance.

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A host of fun events and entertainment includes Sunday Lunch Jazz at the Gallivant in Camber Sands, Boar Bingo at the Standard Inn and a Wild Boar Halloween Party at the Ypres Castle Inn on Friday 26.

There are now 18 venues in and around Rye serving up boar and medieval menus. More details can be found on the website wildboar.org.uk

On the menu at The George in Rye are wild boar burger and wild boar casserole in red wine; The Standard Inn is going ‘full on medieval’ with wild boar and apple stew served on a bread trencher.

Acclaimed chef Dev Biswal of The Ambrette has a number of medieval dishes on offer, including a starter of tender breasts of local wood pigeon, with apple and radish salad, pigeon pate and game roulade.

If you’d like to buy some Wild Boar to cook yourself, don’t miss the Rye and Brede Farmer’s Markets or head to Sutton’s or the Ship’s Store at Winchelsea Beach.

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