Diced Venison 500g

Generous chunks of diced venison shoulder and haunch, dark and rich in flavour, sourced from the beautifully wild Harewood Estate in Yorkshire.

This venison shines when braised low and slow, making it perfect for warming casseroles, hearty pie fillings, or any dish that offers a comforting winter embrace, warming you from the inside out.

For a truly nostalgic treat, consider suet puddings - a rare delight in modern times but so satisfying when winter calls for something substantial. Combine diced venison with onions, smoked bacon lardons, or mushrooms, nestled in a suet crust and steamed for hours. Pair with buttered greens and boiled potatoes, and don’t forget to reserve some gravy for pouring over the pudding.

The bold, gamey flavour of venison also lends itself beautifully to curries. A Massaman curry works wonderfully, as does a Jamaican goat curry-inspired dish or a Kashmiri-style curry rich with black pepper, cloves, and cardamom. Whichever you choose, ensure bread and rice are ready to soak up the delicious sauce.

Although venison often calls for slow cooking, there are quicker options, too. For a twist on tradition, try pasties - easy to make and a joy to eat. The venison’s rich flavour pairs perfectly with swede and generous amounts of black pepper, creating a comforting, portable meal.

Inspired by Chef Val Warner
"When cooking venison (in this case fallow), remember to cook it slowly and in a heavy pan with a well fitting lid. Really low and slow will give the best results.

A favourite of mine is to make a Mexican-style Birria. Sauté onion, a little fresh coriander stalk and garlic, in lard with cumin, cloves, oregano and star anise, toast ancho and guajillo chillies with perhaps a chipotle or two. Blitz the chillies with a considerable amount of cider vinegar and the onions plus a spoon or two of tomato puree. Stew the meat very slowly in this mix with additional bay, black peppercorns and water. Reduce the sauce once the meat is cooked. For a delicious taco, eat the stew in doubled up (juicy) warmed tortillas with a mix of chopped raw onion and fresh coriander leaves sprinkled on top plus a good squeeze of lime juice.

Diced venison is wonderful in a rough puff pastry pie, the meat cooked with bacon and quince and using red wine. Roughly chop the venison up even smaller and cook with diced swede, onions, potatoes and spices and it makes for a wonderful golden pasty, and the perfect lunch for a bracing coastal walk.

Add to a deep stew containing smoked sausage, paprika, cabbage, lentils and a good stock, and it makes for a wonderful eastern European hunter’s stew, ideally produced from a thermos in a forest."