Venison Wellington

Game is low in fat and cholesterol, perfect if you’re trying to stick to a new year’s resolution and it’s easy to cook too.

Venison Wellington

Serves 6

Venison fillet weighing about 900g; 30cm long, 5cm thick

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

350g mushrooms; chestnut, wild or otherwise

100ml Madeira

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp thyme leaves

70ml thick cream

2 large but thin herb crepes

450g puff pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

Trim the fillet of any fat and tie with string to ensure roundness in the cooked piece.

Sear in the oil for 90 seconds top and bottom and 30 seconds each side. Roast at 240°C for 8 minutes for rare, 15 minutes for medium.

Allow to rest for 30 minutes and then untie.

Meanwhile, fry the onion in the oil until softened.

Chop the mushrooms finely and add to the pan with plenty of black pepper, the thyme and the Madeira.

Boil, then add the garlic. Stir and reduce the heat to very low and cook slowly until dry but richly smelling.

Pour in the cream, return to the boil and cook until thick. Any juices from the venison can be poured into the mushroom mix.

To assemble the Wellington; roll the pastry to a rectangle of a thickness of 4mm, about 50cm x 30cm shape.

Cut 5cm x 5cm squares from the corners and spread most of the mushroom mixture over the inner rectangle.

Wrap the fillet in the crepes and place on the mushroom bed. Bring the end to the centre and brush with egg.

Roll the pastry length, using egg to glue the sides on contact and encase the meat. Shape the Wellington and lift gently to a greased baking tray.

Brush with egg and decorate with pastry trimmings if desired. Bake at 210°C for 20 minutes.

When the pastry is golden, insert a metal skewer, wait 15 seconds and withdraw.

If the skewer is cold, the meat is underdone; warm is rare and hot is well done. Rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve with red wine sauce – enjoy!