Serves 6-8

You’ll be able to find guinea fowl in large supermarkets or from specialist game and poultry suppliers. If you’re not confident about jointing the birds, ask your butcher to do this for you. Serve this rich stew with the roasted root vegetables.

2 x 1.2kg guinea fowl

Olive oil, for cooking

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery sticks, trimmed and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

200g pancetta, cut into cubes

Small handful of thyme sprigs

3 rosemary sprigs

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp tomato purée

350g Puy lentils, rinsed

200ml red wine

1 litre brown chicken or beef stock

1 Joint the guinea fowl into breasts, thighs and drumsticks. Discard the carcasses or use to make a stock. Heat a little oil in a large casserole dish and season the meat with salt and pepper. Brown in batches for about 5 minutes over a moderate heat on all sides, then set aside. Drain off the excess fat.

2 For the ragout, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in the casserole. Tip in the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft. Add the pancetta and continue to sauté together until it has released its oils into the pan and is lightly golden.

3 Add the herbs and stir in the tomato purée and lentils. Pour in the wine and allow to bubble until almost completely reduced. Add the stock and some seasoning and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered with a lid, for 20 minutes.

4 Uncover the casserole dish and lower the guinea fowl thighs and drumsticks into the stew. Re-cover and cook for a further 10 minutes. Now immerse the breasts in the stew and finish cooking for a final 20-25 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the lentils are tender. Remove the lid for the final 15 minutes of cooking to give the liquid time to reduce, leaving you with a dark and rich sauce. Pick out and discard the bay leaves and any woody rosemary and thyme stalks before serving.

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