Tender and rich, this pie is a real centrepiece. Look for venison meat labelled ‘braising’ or use chopped shoulder or leg. You can, of course,replace the venison with braising/stewing steak, if you prefer.
-1kg braising venison, cut into rough 2.5-3cm pieces, see intro
3Tbsp.
flour, plus 1tbsp
2Tbsp.
vegetable oil
300ml
red wine
650ml
beef stock
2
fresh or 4 dried bay leaves
3
bushy thyme sprigs
3/4Tbsp.
English mustard
For the pastry
1
medium egg yolk
1Tbsp.
milk
320g
sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
Directions
Step 1For the filling, cook the pancetta in a large casserole dish (that has a lid)
over medium heat until beginning
to crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a bowl. Increase heat to
medium-high and cook the mushrooms
until golden and any liquid in the
casserole dish has evaporated. Empty
into the pancetta bowl.
Step 2In a large bowl, toss the venison in
the 3tbsp flour and plenty of seasoning
to coat. Return the casserole dish to
medium-high heat and add 1tbsp oil.
Fry the venison in batches until
browned all over, adding to the
pancetta bowl when ready, and adding
remaining 1tbsp oil as needed.
Step 3Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan)
mark 3. Add the wine to the empty
casserole dish and bubble for a few
min, scraping the bottom of the dish
with a wooden spoon to release
the cooked-on bits.
Step 4Add the stock, herbs, mustard and
plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Return the venison mixture (and any
liquid) to the casserole dish and bring
to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven
for 2hr, or until the venison is tender.
Step 5Strain mixture through a colander
or sieve into a bowl or jug. Empty the
venison mixture into a rough 1.5 litre
lipped pie dish. Pick out and discard
the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
Measure the 1tbsp flour into a medium
pan and gradually whisk in the strained
liquid. Cook over medium hob heat,
whisking constantly, until slightly
thickened. Pour into the pie dish, mix
and check seasoning. Cool completely.
Step 6Reheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan)
mark 6. For the pastry, in a small bowl,
mix the egg yolk and milk to make a
glaze. Brush the rim of the pie dish
with some glaze. Unroll the pastry, roll
a little thinner, then lay on to the dish
to cover. Crimp or press on to the
edges to seal, trimming excess pastry.
Step 7Reroll trimmings to 1-2mm thick
and stamp out shapes, if you like,
using autumnal cutters. Stick to the
pastry using a little glaze. Brush
the whole pastry lid with more glaze.
Slice a cross into the centre of the
lid to allow steam to escape.
Step 8Cook in the oven for 40-45min,
or until deep golden and piping
hot. Serve.
GET AHEAD
Prepare to end of step 7 up to a day ahead. Cover and chill. To serve, cook in an oven preheated to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 45-50min, or until deep golden and piping hot.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
