Pulled Pheasant broth with sage and horseradish dumplings

1 HOUR 45 MINUTES SERVES 3-4 | EASY

This is a great way to try pheasant, in a gorgeous, aromatic clear broth with smoky pancetta and buttered cabbage, and not forgetting those fluffy dumplings, perfect for when the evenings begin to have a little chill to them.

vegetable oil 1 tbsp carrots 2, finely diced celery 1 stick, finely diced onion 1, roughly chopped bay leaf 1 diced smoked pancetta or smoked bacon lardons 250g light chicken stock 1 litre thyme 2 sprigs rosemary 1 sprig garlic 2 cloves, crushed tomato purée 1 tsp pheasant 1, oven-ready (see cook’s notes) Hispi or Savoy cabbage 1 head, shredded butter 2 tbsp

DUMPLINGS plain flour 175g shredded suet 75g baking powder 1 tsp sage ½ a bunch, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley a small bunch, chopped creamed horseradish 1 tbsp

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry all of the diced vegetables with the bay leaf and pancetta until golden, the fat has rendered and the pancetta is crisp.

• Add the stock, herbs, garlic and tomato purée, and bring back to the boil, stirring well to get all the chewy bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the pheasant into the broth, turn down to a simmer and cook for 1 hour or until the meat falls easily from the bones.

• Meanwhile, mix together the flour, suet, baking powder, sage, parsley and horseradish in a mixing bowl and season generously. Add 150-175ml of cold water to make a firm but pliable dough.

• Gently lift the pheasant from the broth, remove the skin and bones, shred the meat, divide into warm bowls and return the broth to a simmer.

• Dampen your hands and roll the dough into golf-ball-sized dumplings, add to the broth and cook for 8-10 minutes with a lid on until they are light and fluffy. Check the seasoning of the broth, adding more if needed.

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the cabbage until tender, then drain really well and tip into a serving dish with the butter and some seasoning.

• To serve, add the dumplings and a generous ladle of the broth to each bowl of pheasant, before adding a big spoonful of the buttered cabbage.

PER SERVING 947 KCALS | FAT 71.8G SATURATES 31.4G | CARBS 47.9G | SUGARS 6.8G FIBRE 9.3G | PROTEIN 22.6G | SALT 3.8G