Wild Venison and Mushroom Suet Pudding

Ingredients

• 700 g diced wild venison, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 20 ml rapeseed oil
• 180 g onion, chopped
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
• 20 g plain flour
• 450 ml low-salt beef stock
• 10 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 250 g self-raising flour
• 125 g shredded vegetable suet
• 150 ml cold water, approximately
• 10 g butter, for the basin
• 2 g fine salt
• 1 g ground black pepper

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oil in a casserole and brown the venison in batches for 8 minutes. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 7 minutes. Stir in the plain flour, stock, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and half the seasoning.

2. 2

   Cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours until the meat is tender, adding a little hot water if necessary. Remove the bay leaf. The filling should have thick gravy rather than loose liquid. Spread it in a shallow dish to stop steaming for 20 minutes.

3. 3

   Grease a 1.5 litre heatproof pudding basin. Mix the self-raising flour, suet and remaining seasoning; add enough cold water to make a soft dough. Reserve one quarter for the lid. Roll the rest to line the basin, leaving a small overhang.

4. 4

   Spoon in the warm filling. Roll the pastry lid, dampen the rim and seal it firmly. Cover with a sheet of baking paper and foil, both with a pleat, and tie securely under the basin rim with kitchen string.

5. 5

   Set the basin on a trivet in a deep saucepan. Add boiling water halfway up the basin, cover the pan and steam gently for 2 hours. Check the water regularly and replenish with boiling water so it never boils dry.

6. 6

   Carefully remove the wrapping. The pastry should be firm and the centre piping hot; use a clean thermometer through the top to confirm 70°C for 2 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and turn onto a warm plate, taking care with hot gravy.