Roast Pheasant Casserole With Thyme Dumplings & Barley

Makes 12-16 squares
Prep time 15 mins
Cook time 35 mins
Fridge time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 pheasants
• 110g streaky bacon
• 25g unsalted butter
• 225g shallots, finely chopped
• 25g plain flour
• 500ml chicken stock
• 30g redcurrant jelly
• 100ml dry white wine
• 100g chestnut mushrooms
• Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
• 80g pearl barley

Dumplings

• 350g self-raising flour
• 150g cold butter
• 2 tbls fresh thyme
• Salt & pepper
• A bit of cold water

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C and melt the butter in a large pan
2. Add the pheasants, brown them and then remove them from pan
3. Fry the shallots and bacon in the pan and then remove them
4. Add flour to the pan allowing it to soak up the remaining juices, mixing well
5. Add chicken stock, bringing it to the boil and once thickened season it
6. Return the pheasants to the pan, adding the shallots, bacon, barley, wine and redcurrant jelly, stirring well and coating the pheasants
7. Cover the pan and put in the oven for an hour, until the juices run clear, adding the mushrooms 10 minutes before its ready
8. Meanwhile, make the dumplings by sieving the flour into a bowl, add thyme, salt and pepper
9. Grate the cold butter into the flour and rub it in until it looks like breadcrumbs
10. Add a bit of water to soften it, but not enough to make it sticky
11. Flour your hands slightly and roll the dough into 12 small balls
12. Add dumplings and barley to the casserole once it has cooked for an hour, cover and bake for another 20 minutes at 180C
13. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve