TODAY the pheasant shooting season opens and once more these delicious, wild birds will be in the shops and on restaurant menus.

But few people perhaps, will realise the tremendous effort this takes and the benefits to the environment. An independent survey showed that shooting as a whole puts £2 billion into the UK economy and provides the equivalent of 16,000 full-time jobs in conservation.

The pheasant is the principal quarry of game shooters and because of their value the welfare of the young pheasants is of paramount importance. Young birds are gradually introduced to the wild in carefully maintained habitat that provides excellent shelter for all other wildlife. Shooting does not begin until the birds are fully mature and are completely wild. This is the ultimate free-range food, and when it arrives on your plate it is low in fat, high in nutrients and extremely healthy.

The delicious flavour of pheasant has been widely recognised and popularised by celebrity chefs, and you can now find pheasant in your local butcher or supermarket as well as on the menu in many restaurants and pubs. It’s easy to cook and there are numerous recipes in cookbooks along with a good selection online.

Eating pheasant helps both you and the countryside to remain healthy. Woodland thinned for pheasants can contain ten times the number of individual butterflies than unmanaged areas, while the acres of cover crops provide vital winter feed and shelter for our declining populations of farmland birds.

Debbie Collins, BASC