Venison shoulder stuffed with spinach

Ingredients

2 onions, skinned and ● finely chopped

oil ●

8oz packet frozen chopped ● spinach, thawed and drained

3 garlic cloves, skinned ● and thinly sliced

1⁄2 tsp quatre epices ● (nutmeg will work too)

1 shoulder venison ●

2 tsp flour ●

1⁄2 pint stock ●

1 tbsp redcurrant jelly ● Soften the onion in the oil in a saucepan then add the spinach, 1 garlic clove, quatre epices and season with salt and lots of pepper. Allow it to cool. Once the stuffing has cooled, fill the bone cavity of the venison with the mixture and tie up with string. Make small cuts in the meat and insert the remaining garlic slices into them. Place the venison in a roasting tin and cook in the oven

1/2 at 180C for about 2 hours, basting several times. Transfer to a warm plate and allow it to rest. Add the flour to the meat juices and cook, slowly adding the stock. When the sauce has thickened, add the redcurrant jelly and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is smooth. Carve the meat and serve with the sauce and some creamy mashed potato.

the attachments away until it frees and can be pulled away (Fig 5). You now have boneless shoulder meat.

Trim off any unwanted meat, sinew and fat. The general rule for me is that if I don’t fancy eating it, then it comes off.

Roll it

On a large deer (it is a red deer in the pictures) I would cut the meat into two parts and then roll it (Fig 6). You can either use butcher’s string to secure it in the roll or there are now elastic butcher’s loops in a variety of sizes to secure a rolled shoulder joint. I use both methods. Trim the edges straight and there you have it. You will find you have plenty of excess meat for mince.

Have a go, take your time and don’t worry about the odd mistake – the animal is dead and you can’t hurt it. There is something special about butchering your harvest.

Remember that shoulder meat does need slow cooking (see Andrea’s recipe), but it is tender and delicious and worth the wait.