With the end of the Pheasant season almost upon us, we're celebrating All Things Pheasant and we wanted to share our favourite Pheasant Casserole with you.

Ingredients

• 2 pheasants
• 2 tbsp oil
• 100g smoked streaky bacon, cut into strips
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery, sliced thinly on the diagonal
• 25g plain flour
• 300ml apple juice
• 300ml hot chicken stock
• 1 tbsp fruit jelly, such as redcurrant jelly
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 bay leaves
• 250g button mushrooms, halved
• mashed potato, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3.

2. To prepare the meat, remove the breast meat and legs from the birds. Set aside the carcasses to make stock for another time. Remove the skin from all the meat and cut the the breast meat into 3cm cubes. Season the breast meat and legs with salt and pepper.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a casserole dish placed over a medium heat. Add the meat and fry until brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4. Add the remaining oil and fry the bacon for a few minutes until crisp. Add the onion and celery, and fry over a high heat for few minutes until softened.

5. Sprinkle in the flour and stir. Gradually pour in the apple juice and stock and bring to the boil. Add the redcurrant jelly, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves and return the meat to the pan.

6. Bring everything back to the boil, stirring. Season with salt and pepper and a few drops of gravy browning, if using. Cover and cook in the oven for about 1–1½ hours, or until tender. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 30 minutes.

7. Remove the bay leaves and serve piping hot with mashed potato.

With thanks to Jamie Oliver for his fantastic recipe!