Gamekeeper’s Pie

• Prep: 25 mins
• Cook: 2 hrs and 15 mins
• Serves 6

Tailor this mash-topped stew to suit whatever game is in season - add more matured meat if you like a strong game flavour.

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 700g mixed game meat (partridge, pigeon, pheasant, rabbit and hare all work well), deboned and cut into 3cm pieces
• 300g pack venison sausages (about 6 sausages), removed from their skins
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 150ml red wine
• 500ml chicken or beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tsp thyme leaf, chopped
• 400g potato , cut into chunks
• 600g mixed root vegetable (use parsnips, celeriac, swede or turnips), cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp milk

Method

STEP 1

• Heat half the butter and the oil in a large pan, add the onion and carrots, and cook for about 10 mins until soft. Add the game and sausagemeat to the pan. Turn up the heat, squash the meat with the back of your spoon to break it up, and cook for 10 mins until nicely browned.

STEP 2

• Stir the flour and tomato purée into the meat, cook for 1 min, then add the wine, stock, sauce, bay and 3 tsp thyme. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 1 hr. Remove the lid and cook for 15 mins more until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.

STEP 3

• Put the potatoes and veg in a large pan, cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 mins until really tender. Drain, leave to steam for 5 mins, then mash with seasoning, milk and the remaining butter.

STEP 4

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the meat into an ovenproof dish and spoon on the mash. Sprinkle with the remaining thyme and bake for 45 mins until the top is golden and the sauce bubbling.

Goes well with

• Potato & Savoy cabbage soup with bacon
• Turnip, potato & mustard gratin