Ingredients

• 675g/1½lb mixed game meat such as pheasant
• partridge
• hare and rabbit
• boned
• 225g/8oz venison steak cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 red onions
• peeled and sliced
• 120g/4oz smoked streaky bacon
• derinded and chopped
• 120g/4oz chestnut mushrooms
• cleaned and sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• peeled and crushed
• 30g/1oz plain flour
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 orange
• zest and juice
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 300ml/½ pint chicken stock
• 300ml/½ pint red wine
• 340g/12oz puff pastry
• Salt and pepper
• beaten egg
• for glazing

Directions

• Heat a tablespoon of the oil and brown the game and venison in batches until well browned. Keep on one side.
• Heat the rest of the oil and cook the onions for five minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic
• bacon and mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Season well and stir in the bay leaf
• orange zest and juice
• redcurrant jelly
• stock and wine.
• Bring to the boil
• add the meat and simmer gently for 40-50 minutes until the meat is tender. Cool.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Put the meat mixture in a pie dish. Roll out the pastry to make a lid and attach to the dish. Decorate with the pastry trimmings and cut a steam hole in the centre. Glaze with beaten egg.
• Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and risen and the filling is piping hot.