Ingredients

2 carrots
4 shallots
2 sticks celery
40ml vegetable oil
2tsp chopped sage
2.5kg diced game (rabbit, venison, pigeon in this version )
2 tbsp tomato purée
50g plain flour
500ml medium ale
500 ml game stock/ or veal stock
100 ml honey
Handful of dark chocolate valets
Seasoning: salt and pepper

Method

1. Brunnoise the carrots, celery and shallots. Sweat off on a medium heat for 5 minutes with the vegetable oil.
2. Add the chopped sage to the vegetables and leave the pan on a low heat. Meanwhile get two large frying pans smoking with a good glug of veg oil in each. Toss all the diced game in flour and then fry it in batches trying to get some good colour on the diced game before t goes in to the mix.
3. Once fried put all the diced game in with the brunnoise veg and stir in with 2 tbsp of tomato purée and 100 ml of honey for 2 minutes.
4. Add the ale and stock to the pan and bring to the boil and then simmer for at least 90 minutes until a nice thick consistency to fill a pie.
5. Last of all add a handful of dark chocolate to the finished pie mix and stir in to taste, if it’s slightly bitter just add more honey to add sweetness.
6. Chill this and then use as to fill a pie of choice. I prefer to make a herby suet pastry and bake a mini pie to serve with a game dish.

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