Ingredients

1 packet smoked bacon (cubed) 2lb stewing venison

Red wine (of course)

1 onion (chopped)

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1tsp 4 spice (a french spice blend made up of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg

– a quarter of a tsp each)

1tsp Herbes de Provence

2tbsp tomato ketchup

1 chicken stock cube

Have a large casserole dish ready to hand. Heat a frying pan and dry fry the smoked bacon. When nicely browned put into the casserole dish.

Cut the venison into bite-size pieces and sprinkle with pepper, add some olive oil to the pan and brown a small amount at a time. Put each batch on top of the bacon in the casserole dish.

Add some more oil to the frying pan and fry the onions and garlic. Place in the casserole dish and stir. Deglaze the frying pan with some red wine, add to the casserole and then add half and half red wine and water to the meat, so that it is just covered. Add the 4 spice, Herbes de Provence, tomato ketchup and crumble in the stock cube. Cover and cook for three hours in the oven at 150C. Then, leave in the fridge overnight.

An hour before you are ready to eat, take the meat out of the dish and place on a plate to one side. Heat the sauce to boiling point and reduce.

It’s traditional to serve this with macaroni. Cook some and place in the middle of a serving plate. Pile the meat on top with the reduced sauce and cover with Emmental cheese.