Roberto Bassini taught me how to hunt, and the first time we went out I was plagued with conflicting emotions. On the one hand I enjoy cooking and eating game – wild rabbit, hare, pheasant, wild boar, wild duck, deer and venison – it’s some of the tastiest meat you will find; it’s versatile and lends itself to a huge variety of dishes, and its provenance is beyond question. On the other hand, the idea of hunting as a sport never appealed to me. To be frank, I believe that shooting wild animals for sport can never be justified.
Game is naturally low in saturated fats and free from the chemicals that are sometimes present in farmed animals
However, that said, many of my neighbours here in Italy are keen hunters, and not one of them hunts for sport. “I don’t shoot for pleasure”, Roberto told me the first time we went out. “If I wanted just to shoot, I’d go to the range.” Roberto’s father was a hunter, and his grandfather before him. In fact, hunting has been in his family for generations. I felt quite privileged the first time Robert took me with him. It’s not something he talks about in public and usually he hunts alone.