Game Pie with Juniper Recipe

Method

1. Heat a large casserole and dry-fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon, leaving the fat in the casserole, turn down the heat and gently cook the onions for 15 minutes, until softened.

2. Toss the meat through the seasoned flour and mustard powder. Heat 1tbsp oil in a large sauté pan and brown the meat off in batches, adding more oil when required. Set aside.

3. When the onions have softened, add the garlic for 1 minute. Add the carrots, cover and leave for 5 minutes. Add the jelly, cloves, juniper berries, wine, stock and meat, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, then cover and cook on a low heat for 1 hour. Uncover and add the mushrooms. Cook for a further hour until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened. Cool (this filling can be frozen for up to 1 month).

4. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Leave it to chill for 15 minutes, on a board, covered in clingfilm. Heat the oven to 190 C, 170 C fan, 375 F, gas 5. Put the filling into a 1.5-litre (2¾pt) pie dish, but don't overfill.

5. Brush the edge of the dish with egg and cut a strip of pastry to fit around it. Lay on the edge of the pie dish and brush with egg. Lay the remaining pastry over the top of the dish and cut around the edge, using your thumb to press the pastry together and seal the crust. Cut a hole in the top of the pie and decorate with leaves made from pastry trimmings. Put it in the fridge to chill again for 15 minutes. Glaze the pastry with egg and bake for 35 minutes.