Nick Richards has over 25 years’ experience of deer management covering a range of properties, both in woodland and on the open hill. A clear demand for focussed deer management and locally sourced, wild venison motivated Nick to establish Forest to Fork in 2011. The business involves two distinct areas:
Responsible Deer Management: Sustainable Wild Venison
- FOREST: The planning and delivery of deer management operations.
- FORK: The conversion of deer into an exceptional food product.
The journey from Forest to Fork entails a number of stages, all of which are undertaken, or closely supervised by Nick. This ensures complete traceability, accountability and above all, excellent venison.
Follow Our Journey from Forest to Fork...
Nick's Qualifications
- BSc Hons Degree in Land Management and Agriculture
- 25 years deer management experience
- Deer Stalking Certificate (Levels 1 & 2)
- Registered as Fit & Competent with Scottish Natural Heritage
- Lantra Argocat Certificate
- Emergency First Aid Certificate
- £5m Public Liability Insurance.
- Venison Dealer’s Licence.
- Member of the Scottish Quality Wild Venison assurance scheme both as a Producer (Forest) and Processor (Fork).
- Approved deer larder (Food Hygiene Information Scheme).
- Approved Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP).
- £5m Product Liability Insurance.
There are three species of wild deer commonly found in Scotland:
The iconic Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) which is the largest land mammal in the UK found mainly on the hill ground.
The timid Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) which can be found in most woodlands throughout Scotland.
The elusive Sika Deer (Cervus Nippon) which favours woodland but strays on to the hill, often hybridising with red deer.