grouse, which is widely considered the best game bird in the world, is shot for the table. Most other game birds are shot from September until February, though birds such as pheasant and woodcock are not available until October 1.

Because the game season arrives at the same time as the autumnal mists and cooler weather, most chefs are inspired to create rich,warming casseroles and pies for those who enjoy the robust tastes of game birds.

Last week I met a young chef who is thrilled that the game season is now under way. She says game is something that gives her scope to produce a wonderful selection of dishes that can’t be produced in the summer months unless she resorts to the freezer, which she is loath to do. Actually, her kitchen only has one small freezer now and all the microwaves that once lined its walls have long gone.

The chef is 29-year-old Rebecca Joy, and the pub is The Bear and ragged Staff, Cumnor, which has been brought back to life by Mark Greenwood, who has recently returned to England having spent many years in the Orient, where he owns a number of catering outlets.

Mark took over the pub last December, and admits he fell in love with the building the moment he saw it. He says it was not difficult to see the enormous potential of this pub, which stands in a beautiful old Oxfordshire village that is close to Oxford yet surrounded by woods and farmland.

The Bear and Ragged Staff has a rich history, for although it is now a popular public house and restaurant, it was used as an army billet during the Civil War, when Richard Cromwell, son of Oliver Cromwell, is said to have lived there. It is believed that the hole chiselled out of the lintel above the fireplace in the main bar marks the spot where Cromwell removed a royal crest.

Surprisingly, The Bear and Ragged Staff has only operated as a pub since the middle of the 19th century. It took its name from an older hostelry nearby, known as The Black Bear, which is thought to have been destroyed by fire a few years earlier.

As this pub is close to my home, it is one I have used frequently over the years. Indeed, I remember it from years back when the waiting staff wore the traditional black-and-white uniform when serving in what was then an exclusive restaurant at the rear.

That restaurant has been redesigned now, but the old bar I have always loved so much, with its worn, polished flagstones and roaring log fire, remains unspoiled.

Since settling in, Mark Greenwood has introduced new menus which he feels suit the pub as they incorporate a wide range of wildlife that is available locally. His aim is to include rabbit, pheasant, partridge, deer and pigeon on his menu throughout the game season.

It was Mark who removed all microwaves as he believes food should be cooked to order, not reheated from frozen. He describes his food as hearty country-style cooking and is particularly proud of the meat pies with glorious meaty gravy that Rebecca is making at the moment.

To celebrate the game season, The Bear and Ragged Staff is staging a series of game nights on the last Wednesday of each month.

Because Mark was aware of my ‘Eat British Food’ pledge, he invited me to attend the first game night, confident that he would be able to offer me a meal that was not just British, but local too.

Naturally, the evening prompted discussions about the nature of game, given that the term covers many species of both mammals and birds.

While it was generally agreed that many creatures classified as game appear to have very little in common with each other — particularly if you compare rabbit with pheasant or deer with woodsnipe — everyone accepted that the wildness of their lifestyle brings a common flavour note to them all. Perhaps this is why Rebecca’s Fur and Feather casserole works so well?

There was also a lively discussion among the game aficionados as to how long game birds should be hung before use.

One farmer admitted he used to hang his pheasants until the body finally parted company with the head.

He now enjoys cooking a bird that has hung for just three days, as he finds it then tastes rather like a gamey chicken and is not so overpowering.

What was agreed as the meal drew to a close was that a well-cooked pheasant breast served with a tasty sauce is certainly a great way of celebrating the onset of autumn.

For those who are interested in the ethics of pursuing and consuming game, may I recommend The River Cottage Meat Book, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Hodder & Stoughton, £30) which discusses the subject in depth.