Simple Christmas supper: Roast partridge

Ingredients

1 bird per person Quince jelly or damson jelly Carrots, 2 per person Suede, 2 per person Butter Salt and pepper Red wine Olive oil

Good brand of frozen chips or home made

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 240C

Peel, chop and steam the carrots and suede and puree in a Magimix. Reserve until required, then re-heat in a saucepan with a knob of butter, season to taste.

Cook the chips on the lower shelf of the oven for 25 minutes, mean while, put a knob of butter into the cavity of each partridge and sit in a small le creuset. Drizzle the birds with a little olive oil, a splash of red wine and a grind of salt and pepper.

Cook the birds for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven and baste with the sizzling juices from the bottom of the pan. Replace and cook for a further 5-10 minutes (a shorter time for English partridge)

Beware not to burn your chips!

Remove chips and birds from the oven and leave to rest. Leave the juices from the cooked partridge in the pan and add a further splash of red wine and a good spoonful of quince or damson jelly-let this bubble for a few minutes to reduce.

Serve a whole bird each with the carrot and suede puree and the chips in a bowl in the middle of the table-the juices will make them soggy. Sharp knives are crucial.