From estate to plate
Curtis Pitts Deer Services prides itself on passion. Passion for the welfare and sustainability of deer and with that passion, the story of how perfectly prepped game meat to supply the ever-growing market is one that should be shared. Travelling around the beautiful South West, Curtis Pitts and the team are lead to many farms and estates where they harvest the best deer available, ready for the consumption of many lucky diners.
The generation game… The Pitts family’s interest in the management of deer has spun many a generation. Holding deer management in parkland and wild environments close to their hearts, and with a clear vision to personally source the finest quality venison that they can to provide to customers at the forefront. Established in 2016, the business has organically grown from a small start-up to a thriving enterprise, offering all elements of deer management as well as boasting full-service game butchery and online, retail and catering meat sales and supply. Company director Curtis Pitts is now at the helm, leading the way in the management, production and supply to local butcheries and restaurants in the South West.
Following on in the farming footsteps of his family, with a passion for the outdoors, and being at one with nature, Curtis’ role in deer management has been instilled in him through the generations. From his grandfather to his father, he has now taken a firm hold of the family baton of managing deer to the next level, with his core values of sustainability and welfare of the animals at the forefront of each decision made. “As third-generation deer managers, we can assure the utmost in skill, compliance and accountability when it comes to deer management and supply of quality venison.”
Wearing many a hat, Curtis takes his venture all over the country, visiting locations at dawn and dusk. Whether it’s a stately park or small farm, the needs of each individual site differ. When it comes to the management of wild deer, once the objective is set, whether that is reducing the deer population, expanding the population or simply keeping the herd healthy, Curtis works closely with the locations to ensure their wild species are kept at bay.
There are six species of deer found wild in the UK: Red, Fallow, Sika, Muntjac, Chinese Water Deer and Roe. Each varies significantly in size and across the South West. Curtis Pitts commonly manages Red, Fallow, Sika and Roe. There are rules for when harvesting is allowed, with male and females being approached at different times of the year to give them protection when they need it and to allow movement around different breeding grounds at key times.
With the demand of quality meat on the increase, diners are taking much more of an interest in the “where” and “what” when it comes to what they are choosing to eat. Where does it come from and what is the journey?
Allowing the livestock to live and eat freely massively impacts the quality and taste of the meat. The animals are left to roam freely within the plush Devonshire countryside, naturally breeding as and when mother nature allows. Cherry-picking their daily meals from the abundance of seasonal forage found in the hedgerows, nestled in the Devon landscape allows a depth of flavour to develop like no other, thus setting the venison apart from other red meats. “Deer graze and forage natural ingredients, giving venison meat its unique flavour profiles and making it the perfect plate and centrepiece.”
With a focus on the best produce, the sourcing of each dish element is a heavy task and there is a story to how each dish component found its way onto the menu at Àclèaf. The decision of choosing a supplier is influenced by a company’s ethos and location, the hand-picked meat presented on a menu is that which has undergone vast research, ensuring what is served is of the highest quality. “Our clients can be confident that they are in expert hands whether entrusting us with the management and processing of their deer or in buying our game meat.”
Passionate about supplying their venison locally, Curtis explains “It enables us to deliver our locally sourced, traceable product direct to our customer’s doors, whilst maintaining farmland and green spaces in the vicinity, connecting the land with the people around it.”
Sustainability, the buzzword on the lips of most these days and seemingly impacting consumers choices (as it should.) “Wild venison is a totally sustainable product with no human interference other than in harvesting the carcass.” Curtis explains. “With deer populations across the UK at a record high, if left unmanaged the populations will continue to rise causing detrimental effects on the UK’s landscape. We aim to continue sourcing the finest quality venison we can supply, providing traceable, sustainable products with provenance all whilst working hard to keep deer numbers at a sustainable level.