Venison Wellington

Preparation method

1. For the pancakes, whisk together the flour, eggs and milk and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan then pour in a ladle of batter – the pancakes should be about the same size as the cabbage leaves. Swirl the batter around the pan to make a thin pancake and cook until bubbling. Flip the pancake with a palette knife, cook for one more minute, then transfer to a warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining batter; you will need six pancakes in total.

2. For the venison, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, season the venison with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and sear in the hot pan until browned all over. Remove the meat from the pan and leave to rest.

3. Melt the butter in the frying pan and gently fry the mushrooms until golden-brown. Leave to cool slightly, then chop finely and set aside.

4. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and cook gently until soft, but not brown. Add the chopped mushrooms and turn up the heat. Fry quickly until all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is dry and begins to take colour. Add the Madeira, bring to the boil, then simmer until the liquid has reduced by one half. Add the stock and cream, bring back to the boil, then simmer until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then remove from the heat and set aside.

5. Blanch the cabbage leaves in a pan of boiling, salted water for a couple of minutes. Drain, refresh in ice cold water and pat dry on kitchen paper.

6. Place a large piece of cling film on a clean board and lay the pancakes on top, overlapping them slightly so that there are no gaps. Place the cabbage leaves on top of the pancakes, then spoon half of the mushroom mixture onto the cabbage. Place the venison on top of the cabbage and spread it with the remaining mushroom mixture. Trim the edges of the pancakes and cabbage to make neat, then wrap the whole parcel up tightly in the cling film and transfer to the freezer for one hour.

7. For the sauce, heat the butter in a pan and gently cook the shallots until soft but nor brown. Add the thyme and port, bring to the boil, then simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, bring back to the boil and then simmer until the sauce is thick and syrupy. Strain through a fine sieve and keep warm until serving.

8. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Roll out a rectangle of pastry large enough to wrap the venison and about 3mm/⅛in thick. Remove the cling film and place the venison in the centre of the pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg and milk then pull the sides of pastry up to seal the venison in a parcel. Place the parcel on a non-stick baking tray, brush with the remaining beaten egg and milk, then bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden-brown and the meat is cooked through. Rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Garnish with the rosemary and thyme.

1-2 hours preparation time

1 to 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4-6