Serves 4

If you can, marinate the venison haunch overnight as this helps tenderise the meat and meld the flavours.

For the Filling

800g haunch of venison, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
250ml red wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp plain flour
20g butter
150g smoked bacon lardons
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
300ml beef or veal stock
2 tsp raspberry vinegar
20g bitter dark chocolate, grated

For the suet pastry

Butter, for greasing
350g self-raising flour, plus extra for rolling
Pinch of fine sea salt
170g shredded beef (or vegetarian) suet
150-200ml ice-cold water, to mix

Method

1 Put the venison, garlic, bay leaf and thyme in a bowl and pour over the wine. Cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

2 Strain the venison, discarding the garlic, bay and thyme; reserve the wine. Season the flour. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper and toss in the flour to coat.

3 Heat the butter in a pan and add the lardons. Fry for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the onions and cook for a few more minutes to soften. Pour in the reserved wine and stock. Bring to the boil and let the liquid bubble until reduced by half. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the vinegar and chocolate. Leave to cool.

4 Make the pastry: lightly grease a 1-litre pudding basin with butter. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the suet and rub lightly with your fingertips. Add 150ml ice-cold water and stir the mixture with a butter knife. If the mixture is dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time until you get a soft dough. On a floured board, roll out two-thirds of the dough into a large circle about 1cm thick. Make one cut from the edge to the centre of the circle, then use to line the basin, overlapping the cut sides and pressing down to seal.

5 Strain the lardons and onions through a sieve, reserving the sauce. Mix them with the venison and season again. Carefully tip the filling into the lined basin, then pour in enough sauce to just cover the meat. Roll out the remaining pastry into a circle for the lid. Dampen the edges, drape over the pudding and press around the edge to seal.

6 Place a double layer of pleated baking parchment and foil over the top and secure tightly with kitchen string. Put the basin in a large pan and pour in boiling water to come two-thirds up the sides of the basin.?Close with a tightly fitting lid. Cook for 4-5 hours, topping up with boiling water every 30-40 minutes, so the pan doesn’t boil dry. Alternatively, cook in a steamer.

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