Ingredients:

• 6 Pheasant Breasts
• 2 Pheasant Thigh Meat

STOCK: 

• Fresh Oregano Stalks
• 8 Whole Black Peppercorns
• 1 Onion, chopped
• Water

SAUCE:

• 100grms Butter
• 1 Onion, diced
• 2 Streaky Bacon, chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves, crushed and chopped
• Orange juice and rind, from 1 orange
• 4 Dried Apricots, chopped
• 100mls White wine
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp Oregano or Mixed Herbs
• Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Pie Pastry

• 1 Egg
• 100ml milk

SALAD:

• 1 Lettuce
• 1 Orange Segments
• 1 Tomato, sliced
• Cranberry Jelly

Cut the frame of the pheasant into quarters and place into a pot. Add the chopped onion, whole peppercorns and fresh oregano. Cover the bones with cold water and bring to the boil, then turn down to simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain stock into a clean saucepan and bring back to the boil, add a little salt and pepper for taste, then simmer the pheasant breasts and thigh meat for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius

Prepare the sauce by adding the butter to a hot pan and sauté the onions, bacon, oregano and garlic. Flash the pan with orange juice, white wine and Cointreau.

Toss in the apricots and season to taste with salt and pepper

Roll out the pie pastry and line the baking tin. Blind bake for 15 minutes using rice or beans to weigh down the pastry.

Remove the pheasant meat and chop into pieces. Place into a blender and add half the sauce. Start the blender on slow to combine the ingredients then add the rest of the sauce.

Turn the blender up high for a few seconds then spoon into prepared pie pastry. Don’t over mix. Keep slightly chunky.

Brush the edges with egg wash and place the lid over the top of the meat, cut to size, brush the top with egg wash and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or till pastry is cooked.