The Game that fed the thrones Europe, 11th Century
Many people living in Medieval Europe would not have been able to enjoy the mouth-watering taste of a roast pheasant. Introduced in England around the time of the Norman conquest in the 11th century, it was an expensive bird that was popular with royals and the rich upper classes who could pay for it.
Some 200 pheasants adorned the tables at the inauguration banquet of Neville, Archbishop of York, in 1465 and its popularity continued with the Tudors. Henry VIII had a pheasant breeder and techniques to enhance the flavour soon emerged.
Cooks quickly figured out that hanging the birds from the ceiling for days improved the taste while there was a debate in 15th-century recipe books over potential accompaniments. While vegetables were rarely eaten by the rich, there was a suggestion that mustard and sugar should be added to the meat. Some others simply preferred salt.
Ingredients
1.25kg pheasant 40g Tewkesbury gold mustard ball Brown sugar 4 fatty bacon rashers 1 tbsp salt 6 tbsp butter
Method
01 Pluck the pheasant and trim off the wings before removing the entrails by cutting a slit in the vent and drawing them out. Alternatively, ask a butcher to prepare the bird for you.
02 Preheat the oven to 200°C and use some string to tightly tie the pheasant, ensuring that the knees are pulled in towards the stomach. Leave the skin on to seal in the juices when cooking. 03 Make sure to add some extra fat. Rub the bird’s skin with butter and/or place layers of bacon over the pheasant.
04 Place the bird in a roasting tin and cover it in foil. Put it in the oven, turning the heat down to 180°C. Roast the bird for 25 minutes per pound. 05 Keep basting the bird with the meat juices to keep it moist. Remember to be careful – the fat will be hot. 06 While the pheasant is cooking, create the mustard sauce. Mix your mustard ball, which is a blend of mustard flour and grated horseradish, with the brown sugar. Add as much or as little as you like depending on how you like the taste of the resulting sauce.
07 Remove the foil for the last ten minutes of cooking so that the skin browns nicely. To judge if the bird is properly cooked, skewer it to ensure the juices are running clear. If you use a meat thermometer, a hen pheasant should be 60°C and a cock pheasant 63°C.
08 Allow the bird to rest for 15 minutes and perhaps use the tail feathers for decoration. Serve with the mustard sauce either by coating the pheasant or placing some on the side of the plate. You could also simply add salt to taste.