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Recipe: Keeper’s Pie, a gamey upgrade on a traditional English classic dish

Country Life

This dish adds a deliciously seasonal twist on traditional shepherd's pie or cottage pie.

This pie uses a mixture of venison and pheasant — if you’re able to choose the mix of the latter, then a 70-30 breast to thigh ratio comes recommended.

The recipe comes from the British Game Alliance, who have a recommended supplier in Wild & Game of Westbury on Trym for those who don’t have a nearby butcher that sells game. Wild & Game sell  BGA-assured pheasant and venison online.

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the Mince

  • 100ml Water
  • 5ml Rapeseed Oil
  • 60g Diced Onion
  • 3g Salt
  • 3g Garlic Puree
  • 2g Chopped Thyme
  • 1 Large Diced Carrot
  • 1/2 Small Diced Swede
  • 1g Cracked Black Pepper
  • 200ml Dark Stout
  • 1 Knorr Beef Stock
  • 10g Demerara Sugar
  • 250g Pheasant Mince
  • 170g Venison Mince

For the Mash

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  • 500g Red Potatoes
  • 100g Butter
  • 50ml Cream
  • 5g Salt

Method

Sweat the onions, carrots, swede, thyme, garlic and minced meats in the rapeseed oil until the vegetables are soft and the meats are light brown. Make sure to season (using about 3g of the salt).

Add the beef stock, as well as the stout and sugar and cook for about 35 minutes until the liquids have reduced to leave a thick consistency. Place the mince in an oven ready baking dish and set aside in the fridge to cool while you prepare the mash.

Boil the potatoes with a little salt to make the mash. Once soft, mash the potatoes together with the cream, butter and remaining salt. Pipe (or spread) the mash over the top of the cooled mince and bake in the oven at 180°C for 35 minutes.