The Game Fair: What To Eat & Drink At The Country Festival

Offering everything from falconry to clay pigeon shooting and fishing, The Game Fair is the ultimate festival for lovers of country pursuits. But foodies will also find much to be excited about. As the name suggests, the event spotlights game meat, although there’s a wide array of food on offer – from street food stalls to more formal dining experiences in the VIP Enclosure. The fair returns to Ragley Hall in Warwickshire from 25 – 27 July 2025, and we’ve got all the culinary highlights below. And if you’re wondering what to wear, don’t miss our handy guide.

The Game Fair Food Guide 2025

What Is The Game Fair?

The concept for The Game Fair dates back over 60 years, tracing back to a man named Nigel Gray, who set out to create an event to bring together landowners and gamekeepers to discuss game shooting. He suggested the idea to Charles Coles – soon to become the director of the Game Conservancy, now the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. The trial event took place in 1958 at Hall Farm in Newmarket, and was a big success, attracting 8,500 visitors. 

Over the coming years, the fair continued to gain traction, even securing its first royal visit in 1974, when the late Queen made an appearance, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. It grew to become not just about game, but a wider celebration of the British countryside, featuring everything from sports to dog shows to crafts, plus live music and talks on food, farming and sustainability.

Ragley Hall

What To Eat & Drink

Chef Demonstrations

A line-up of game chefs will be attending the festival, giving live cookery demonstrations at the BASC Wild Food Kitchen Theatre. Chris Marney will be focusing on muntjac and rabbit, while Jose Souto will be spotlighting native deer species alongside Rachel Green. Elsewhere, Chris Mackett will host a barbecue session, Mark Lloyd will be showcasing pheasant recipes and Andrej Urosevic will share tips on cooking sea bass.

Farm Shop Produce 

Love a good farm shop haul? Head to Totally Food, an emporium of fresh produce from small producers featuring everything from specialty cheese to bread to cakes – plus plenty of game and venison, of course. There will be lots of opportunities to try before you buy too, particularly at the Great Taste Market.

Cocktails

Who better to mix you up a cocktail than Merlin Griffiths, the beloved bartender from Channel 4’s First Dates? He’ll be returning to The Game Fair’s VIP Enclosure to mix up two cocktails made specifically for the event. First up is the Outback Cooler, a blend of Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin, garden shrub, lemon juice and soda water, alongside the Stockman Spritz, which combines Three Spirits Social Elixir with agave nectar, Angostura Bitters and Super Cantarito Mix, topped with lemonade.

Street Food

A variety of street food stalls will be dotted across the festival. At the Gunmakers’ Arms & Grub, located next to Gunmakers’ Row, this year’s line-up includes Gamekeeper, London’s only venison burger street food brand, pizza favourite Made of Dough, and Urban Spice Box, which serves rice and curry boxes as well as filled sourdough naans. 

Dog & Duck, meanwhile, found beside the Dog Agility Ring, will offer smoked meats from Oink BBQ, cult burgers from Nanny Bill’s, and pitta wraps from Smashing Plates. And at Hare & Hound, there’s duck rotisserie, loaded fries from Hey Spud!, bao buns from YouBao and hot dogs from Burnout BBQ.

 

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VIP Dining

Lucky VIPs will get the chance to enjoy food from chef Jimmy Doherty in the Enclosure. The menu will spotlight local ingredients grown near Ragley Hall, with both breakfast and lunch dishes on offer. In the morning, there’s a breakfast buffet of sausages, bacon, toast, coffee and juice. 

Come lunchtime, guests can enjoy dishes like coronation chicken with fresh pomegranate, hot smoked Chalk Stream trout and Greek salad from Jimmy’s Deli. There’s also a roast meat station where you can get Cotswold lamb and salsa verde, and Devon beef roasted sirloin, while The Veg Shed will serve dishes like cauliflower and red lentil pie, and butternut squash with goats cheese strudel. The dessert menu includes Eton Mess, a chocolate brownie with salted caramel, and sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce.

Plus, on Sunday 27 July, The Gentlemen star Vinnie Jones will be hosting a Sunday lunch experience within the Enclosure, alongside Doherty and Griffiths. 

Find out more and book at thegamefair.org