Spice-crusted venison loin with celeriac remoulade

20 MINUTES + RESTING + CHILLING SERVES 4 AS A STARTER | EASY

whole black peppercorns 1½ tsp

fennel seeds 1 tsp

coriander seeds 1 tsp

allspice berries 1 tsp

cumin seeds 1 tsp

olive oil 2 tbsp, plus a drizzle

venison loin 250g

sourdough 2 slices, torn into pieces

watercresss 80g

pickled onions in balsamic 4, thinly sliced REMOULADE

celeriac ½, finely shredded

mayonnaise 6 tbsp

wholegrain mustard 2 tbsp cider vinegar 2 tbsp

1 Toast the peppercorns, fennel, coriander, allspice berries and cumin in a dry frying pan over a low heat for 2 minutes until fragrant. Use a spice grinder or pestle and mortar to grind to a slightly fine texture. Tip out onto a plate.

2 Drizzle the olive oil over the venison and season well with salt. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and fry the venison for 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness, turning every minute until evenly seared all round. Remove to a plate and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

3 Roll the venison in the spice mixture, patting the spices onto the meat to coat it really well. Lay a sheet of baking paper on the worksurface, top with the venison and roll up to enclose, twisting the ends to seal. Chill for 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

4 When nearly ready to serve, heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the sourdough pieces onto a baking tray and drizzle over the 2 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss well, then bake for 15-20 minutes or until deep golden and crunchy.

5 Make the roulade by tipping the celeriac into a bowl with the mayo, mustard, vinegar and some seasoning. Toss to combine.

6 Remove the venison from the fridge and thinly slice. Spread the watercress out on a large platter, dot with the remoulade, scatter over the croutons, arrange the venison slices on top and garnish with the sliced pickled onions.

PER SERVING 387 kcals | fat 26.4G saturates 2.9G | carbs 15.4G | sugars 3.6G fibre 5.2G | protein 19.3G | salt 1.2G