Pheasant crumble pie

Something a bit different that's deliciously savoury and temptingly tasty

I'll own up... I somehow managed to type over the original version of this recipe with the Wild Garlic Pesto one... if you look at the URL you can even see it says Pheasant Crumble. Hey ho. I'm sure it was witty and full of anecdotal entertainment, which now I cannot quite bring myself to regurgitate. So, instead, here is the recipe for Pheasant Crumble, which I used (I think) most faithfully, and the next time I do it, I will properly write this up again.

The recipe is apparently a favourite of Prince Charles, and although it sounds a bit faffy, especially for those who don't have access to game birds, it is delicious and beautiful served with fresh greens and something good in your glass. I used this recipe from Country Life magazine.

I think that instead of making a stock from a whole bird, we happened to have some diced pheasant breast in the freezer and in order to cook it and stop it from going too dry in the pan, I did poach it in chicken stock, which gave me the liquor needed to make the roux sauce. I also think you could quite easily do this with chicken and in a way it is very similar to a chicken pot pie, except with the delicious crumbly topping, which I made in much the same way as I made the crumble for my Cauliflower and Macaroni Cheese Crumble, but without the garlic powder.

Here's a picture of the crumble before it went in the oven - probably because all of the steps before it just look beige and rather unappetising. In brief, however, you make this crumble by poaching some pheasant in a stock, then using that stock to make a roux (also adding a dash of cream and some chopped parsley and thyme). Add the chunks of pheasant to the roux sauce and then create the crumble by blitzing stale bread with some butter, Parmesan (or equivalent) cheese, herbs and some crispy streaky bacon (if you have spare, pop it in the sauce with the pheasant too). Pop it all in the oven (don't forget the pheasant should already be fully cooked so this is just to warm it through) for about 25 minutes.

A right royal feast - thanks Charlie!