Name: Creamy pheasant and cider pot pie with celeriac
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting; 150g cold unsalted butter, cubed; 1 large egg yolk; 2 tbsp rapeseed oil; 150g smoked streaky bacon, chopped; 700g skinless, boneless pheasant breast and thigh meat, cut into 3cm pieces; 25g unsalted butter; 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced into 1cm rounds; 400g celeriac, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 3 tbsp plain flour; 330ml dry cider; 300ml chicken stock; 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard; 4 thyme sprigs; 2 bay leaves; 100ml double cream; Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1 medium egg, beaten; A 1.5 litre pie dish, about 28cm x 20cm

Creamy pheasant and cider pot pie with celeriac

This pheasant and cider pie recipe braises October game with celeriac, leeks and smoked bacon under a buttery shortcrust lid, a weekend main for six.

Freezable

Serves6

Hands-on1 hour, plus chilling and cooling

Oven1 hour 10 min

DifficultyMedium

Break through the lid and steam rises from a pale gold sauce, sharp with dry cider and wholegrain mustard. Cubes of celeriac turn soft and faintly nutty as they simmer, while the lean meat stays tender in the liquor instead of drying out.

Why it’s so good: Pheasant has little fat of its own, so smoked streaky rashers and a splash of double cream add richness, and cooling the filling before the pastry goes on keeps the crust crisp.

Make it easy: Cook the filling the day before and chill it in the pie dish, ready for its lid.

Method

For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour with a pinch of salt until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the egg yolk and 3 tbsp ice-cold water with a knife, then bring together with your hands, adding 1 tbsp more water only if it stays dry. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat. Fry the bacon for 4-5 minutes until crisp, then lift out onto a plate. Season the pheasant and brown it in 2 batches for 3-4 minutes each, adding the remaining oil for the second batch. Set aside with the bacon; the meat will finish cooking in the sauce.

Lower the heat to medium and add the butter, leeks and celeriac with a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the leeks are soft and the celeriac is starting to colour. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute more.

Pour in the cider a little at a time, stirring until smooth, and bubble for 2 minutes. Add the stock, mustard, thyme and bay, then return the pheasant and bacon to the pan. Partly cover and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, until the pheasant is tender, the celeriac is soft and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Stir in the cream and parsley, then taste and season. Discard the thyme stalks and bay, spoon the filling into the pie dish and leave to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry to about 4mm thick and 5cm larger than the dish all round. Cut a 2cm strip from the edge, brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg and press the strip onto it. Brush the strip with egg, lay the lid on top and press to seal.

Trim the excess pastry, crimp the edge and cut 2 small slits in the middle for steam. Brush all over with beaten egg.

Sit the dish on a baking tray and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and the filling is bubbling at the slits and steaming hot all the way through. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Per serving (Serves 6)

Calories

835kcals

Fat

50g (25g saturated)

Protein

40g

Carbohydrates

46g (4.8g sugars)

Fibre

5.3g

Salt

1.2g

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

The filling keeps, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days. To freeze, top the cold filling with the raw pastry lid, leave it unglazed, wrap well and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then glaze and bake as in the recipe, adding 5-10 minutes.

Wild birds can carry shot, so run your fingers over the meat as you dice it. Diced mixed game or skinless chicken thighs work in the same quantity.

For a quicker finish, a 320g sheet of ready-rolled all-butter shortcrust pastry replaces the homemade lid. Reheat any leftovers in a medium oven until steaming hot throughout.