Ingredients

• 2 wood pigeon crowns
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• to taste
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• 50g/1¾oz bacon
• cut into lardons
• 100g/3½oz mousseron mushrooms
• 150g/5½oz peas
• podded
• blanched in a pan of boiling water and refreshed in ice cold water
• 100ml/3½fl oz brown chicken stock
• 2-3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
• 1 head Little Gem lettuce
• finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• grated

Directions

• For the wood pigeon
• preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8.
• Put the pigeons on a roasting tray and place a large knob of the butter on top of each. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for eight minutes
• or until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced in the thickest part. The meat will still be a little pink inside. Allow to rest for eight minutes.
• For the peas and mousseron
• heat a frying pan and add half the butter and bacon. Cook for a couple of minutes to brown the bacon. Add the mousseron mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the peas
• chicken stock and all but a knob of the remaining butter. Cook until the volume of liquid has reduced to a glaze. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the mint
• Little Gem and grated garlic. Stir and heat through.
• For the wood pigeon
• cut the breasts from the pigeons. Heat a knob of butter in a clean pan then add the pigeon breasts and thyme. Take off the heat after a minute. (Make sure you don't overcook the pigeon otherwise it can taste a little like liver.)
• To serve
• put the pigeon breasts into serving bowls and top with the bacon and peas.