This is a rich, meaty stew, perfect for warming you up on a winter evening.  As it is a slow cooking dish it takes a while in the oven, but the prep is relatively quick – so prepare it late-afternoon to be ready for supper.

(As ever, if you are a confident cook, the bold headings below are probably all you need – the rest is the detail.)

Ingredients:

• 750g diced venison
• 30g flour (plain or corn)
• 2 medium onions or 2 handfuls of pickling size onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 1 leek
• 1ltr stock (chicken or game work well)
• 1 large glass red wine
• Sprig of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Olive oil

Method:

Coat the venison in seasoned flower and brown in a pan

Place the flower with a good pinch of salt in a bowl and add the venison – mix until the venison is coated.  Add a good slug of olive oil to a pan (or hob-safe casserole dish) and fry for few minutes until slightly browned.  (The flower will add some thickness to the casserole and the caramelising will add some richness to the flavour.)

Put the venison, diced veg, stock, wine and herbs in a casserole dish

Dice the vegetables and add along with the venison to a casserole dish.  If you used a separate pan to brown the mean, deglaze (heat and scrape) with a little of the wine to get any residue out of the pan.  Add the stock, wine, thyme and bay leaves to the casserole dish.

Place in oven (160C) for to 2 – 3 hours

Adjust the seasoning and serve

Check the taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with potatoes, dumplings or thick crusty bread (great for mopping up every last bit of the broth).

Enjoy