I’m very much affected by the weather, my kitchen is equally affected……as is my garden – which at the moment is lifeless and bare. I’m in mourning for it and I long for when it is yellow and green and red and white again and I can wander through it executing slugs, caressing baby courgettes and sucking down a craft brewski or seven.

As a home cook with a 9 to 5 it would  be easy for me to go into hiding this time of year,  strip the kitchen down to its basic function and subsist on freezer fodder and that award-winning chip shop up the street. It can be difficult to pull the kitchen together when the sun doesn’t stream in, my giant slide-door fully open effectively bringing my kitchen outside…I miss that. I miss next door’s fat cat sitting on the fence watching and (I’m convinced) assessing me as I pivot around my kitchen, I miss eating outside and I miss the smell of fresh-cut summer grass at supper time…..

But…I’m being dramatic..Winter presents incredible opportunities for balance in life when considering cooking and food. If consider yourself a fully functioning human being then you will be craving warm, wholesome comforting foods at this time of year – you look for dishes that warm the heart and nourish the soul as well as swelling the belly heralding fireside naps and the smell of a wet dog. This is all well and good but it isn’t balanced….I love a good curl up with the pup as much as the next guy but this is nothing unless its balanced with that winter swim, mountain hike or pup-run through a damp and skeletal forest – happiness is a wet dog as far as I’m concerned…….

My friends gave me Venison, I butchered it..I trimmed some of it, other parts I tied and the meat in this dish I chunked and pied…..this is what I look forward to coming home to after a winter stride on a Sunday has iced me to my core and my dog has had enough swimming and chasing fish…………

…………………………………………………………………………………

♠Venison Pie♣

Prep time: 2.5 hours ♦  Cook Time: 30 mins ♦ Total time 3hrs ♦ Serves 4

…………………………………………………………………………………

♣WHAT YOU NEED♥

1 kg Venison chunks (stewing)

Plain flour for dusting

1 Small bunch of fresh Thyme, Parsley and Rosemary

2 clove garlic – minced

1 large carrot – cut into rough 1 inch chunks

1/2 bottle good red wine

1 medium white onion finely diced

4 Juniper berries

50 mls port

1 sheet puff pastry

1 beaten egg

♠HOW YOU DO IT♥

Step one:

Season the flour well with salt and pepper and dunk in the venison chunks, coat and the dust them off. Next brown the venison in a little oil in a pan – do this in two or three batches to make sure you fry as opposed to sweat.

Step 2:

Transfer the venison to a deep casserole and add in the onions and carrots. Pop the casserole onto the gas ring, add in the wine and port and bring to a simmer – leave simmering for about 10 minutes

Step 3:

Transfer the casserole to a pre-heated oven at 140c for about 2 hours or until the venison is tender and pulls apart easily. If the sauce is a little on the wet side you can remove the venison, carrots and onions and reduce it directly on the gas or even better drop in a little Swiss Roux to thicken (if you don’t know what that is mail me and I’ll tell you).

Step 4:

Allow the venison ‘stew to cool’ completely then transfer to one of those fabo falcon pie dishes and pop on a puff pastry lid as ramshackle as you fancy.

Step 5:

Brush the puff lid with the beaten egg and then bake in a hot oven 200c for about 23-30 minutes. That’s it – serve with hearty winter greens such as savoy cabbage and a big bad buttery mash…if you have racked up the miles with the dog only!

FANCY A BEER?

TRY THIS: INNIS & GUNN SCOTTISH CRAFT ALE