Pheasant casserole

Ingredients

• 2 large oven-ready pheasants, cut into four portions
• 2 tbsp plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 50 g butter
• 4 rindless streaky bacon rashers
• 2 onions
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 tbsp dried juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 2.5 cm piece ginger root
• 150 ml hot pheasant or chicken stock
• 350 ml dry cider
• 150 ml double cream
• 4 crisp eating apples, such as Granny Smith
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Season pheasant and dust with flour
2. Chop onions, celery, ginger root
3. Melt 40 g of butter in large pan and brown pheasant over high heat until deep golden brown
4. Transfer pheasant to slow cooker
5. Add bacon to empty pheasant pan and fry over high heat until golden
6. Turn heat to medium, add onions, celery, juniper berries, ginger and cook for 8-10 minutes until vegetables have softened
7. Add flour and stir through
8. Stir in the hot stock and cider and bring to the boil, stirring frequently
9. Pour the mixture over the pheasant
10. Season well, then cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours until the pheasant is tender
11. Lift out the pheasant into a warmed dish and cover loosely to keep warm
12. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a pan
13. Stir in the cream
14. Bring to the boil and bubble for 10 minutes or until syrupy
15. Quarter, core and cut the apples into wedges, then toss in the lemon juice
16. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan and fry the apple wedges for 2-3 minutes until golden
17. Put the pheasant back into the sauce, along with the apples, warm through and check the seasoning before serving.