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Serves 4

Ingredients

120g venison shoulder, diced into 1cm cubes

1 medium carrot, finely diced

200g puff pastry, rolled to ½ cm thick

2 banana shallots, finely diced

2 medium parsnips, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

200ml milk

Half a lemon, zest only

300ml beef jus (or beef stock)

2 star anise

10ml Pernod

1 egg yolk

800g venison loin

Sea salt

Pepper

Oil

Method

For the stalker bridie:

1 Brown the venison shoulder in a hot oiled pan.

2 Once the meat has browned, add the diced shallots and two cloves of garlic and allow to soften.

3 Next, add 150ml of stock, turn down the heat, cover and simmer for approximately two hours.

4 Regularly check the meat and once it has begun to soften, add the carrots, season to taste and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes and then allow to cool completely.

5 Preheat the oven to 170°C.

6 On a floured surface, cut four 10cm circular discs from the rolled-out pastry. Distribute the cooled mix evenly between the 4 discs, leaving a 1cm gap from the pastry edge. Fold the pastry around the mix to create a half moon shape and crimp the edges. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk and place on a lined baking tray. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 18 minutes.

For the parsnip puree:

1 Roughly chop the parsnips, the remaining shallot, garlic and lemon zest, add to a pan and cover with the milk. Season to taste. Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until the parsnips are soft.

2 Blitz the mix using a food processor or hand blender until smooth and allow to cool. Re-heat when ready to serve.

For the venison loin:

1 Cut the venison loin into four equal pieces and lightly oil the meat.

2 Sear in a hot pan for approximately 12 minutes, turning regularly. This should leave the meat nice and pink in the middle. Rest the meat for 2 to 3 minutes.

For the star anise sauce:

1 Bring the remaining stock to the boil in a small pan. Add the star anise and simmer for 20 minutes. Once thickened, add the Pernod and take off the heat. Serve immediately.

To assemble the dish:

I prefer to place the venison on top of the puree and the bridie to the side. Either pour your sauce over the venison before serving or allow your guests to pour their own.