Photo/Illutration C.W. Nicol shows how to cook his developed deer meals. (Provided by the C.W. Nicol Afan Woodland Trust and Winery Restaurant St. Cousair)

IIZUNA, Nagano Prefecture--When a director of the trust of the late conservationist C.W. Nicol tried some venison stew at a restaurant here, the dish made her cry.

“Tears came to my eyes because the flavor was identical (to that made by Nicol),” said Risako Noguchi, a senior director at the C.W. Nicol Afan Woodland Trust. “I am really glad that his precious recipe has been passed down.”

Nicol, a British author who engaged in environmental protection in the Kurohime district of Shinano, Nagano Prefecture, died in April at age 79. He did not write down any detailed recipe of his beloved venison stew.

But he showed a chef at Winery Restaurant St. Cousair how to prepare the dish before his death. 

The recipe came out of Nicol’s deep attachment to deer meat and is now served at the eatery Nicol used to frequent.

“The stew boasts a wild but delicate flavor,” said Ryozo Kuze, 70, chairman and founder of Winery Restaurant St. Cousair.

Kuze got to know Nicol two years ago and was invited to a lunch party he was hosting, giving the restaurant owner an opportunity to try the soup.

“The dish was totally free from any offensive odor, and I was surprised at its tastiness,” Kuze said.

After listening to how Nicol loved venison, Kuze thought he should offer the dish at his own restaurant.

Loving to cook, Nicol was so attached to deer meat that he released a book about it. The wild animal meat is very expensive in Europe and venison was “something special” for Nicol, who is originally from Wales.

“I want to build a system to spread the distribution and consumption of deer meat among Japanese,” Nicol was quoted as saying. “That will lead to people’s understanding of the significance of taking a life as well as the preservation of ecosystems and forests.”

Nicol would hunt and butcher deer by himself in preparation for cooking in his kitchen. Every time friends and others visited his home, Nicol entertained the guests with his most loved meal.

In December last year, shortly before his health deteriorated, Nicol showed chef Manabu Kocha, 34, how to cook the dish.

Under the recipe, venison should be boiled with the carrots, onions and celery, combined with a large amount of herbs, to complete the broth featuring a similar gentle taste to that of a Chinese-style herbal medicine soup.

“The delicately balanced herb flavor and the savory venison taste are the stew’s characteristics,” said Kocha. “He (Nicol) also showed me his flexible, liberal stance toward cooking, such as adding ‘botankosho’ pepper, traditionally grown in local areas, to give the stew a delicate flavor to adjust its taste.”

In addition to the stew, keema curry using a large volume of deer meat as well as spaghetti Bolognese, whose recipes were shared by Nicol as well, have been made available at the restaurant, starting in September.

The special meals are priced at 1,600 yen ($15.30) each before tax, and will be served only through the end of April next year. Part of the proceeds from the sales will go to the C.W. Nicol Afan Woodland Trust.

If they prove popular among diners, the limited-time dishes will be added to the regular menu of Winery Restaurant St. Cousair. There is also a plan to sell the venison stew in packages at retailers.

“We will preserve the wishes of Nicol through the stew,” said Kuze.

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