Highland Game Pie
Tender braised venison, pheasant, and pigeon in a rich red wine and juniper gravy, baked under a crisp golden puff pastry lid.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Total
- 150 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 580 kcal
Equipment
- •Large heavy casserole dish
- •Deep pie dish (approx. 24 cm)
- •Frying pan
- •Pastry brush
- •Rolling pin
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 580 kcal
- fat
- 28 g
- carbs
- 36 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 44 g
- calories
- 580 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Season the venison, pheasant, and pigeon pieces with salt and pepper, then toss in the plain flour.
- 2
Melt the butter in a large casserole dish over medium-high heat on the hob.
- 3
Add the bacon and diced game meats in batches and brown until well-coloured, then remove to a plate.
- 4
Add the onions and carrots to the casserole dish and cook for five minutes until lightly softened.
- 5
Stir in the crushed juniper berries and fresh thyme leaves.
- 6
Pour in the red wine and scrape up any caramelised bits from the base of the pan.
- 7
Return the browned meats to the dish, pour in the hot beef stock, and bring to a simmer.
- 8
Cover with a lid and simmer gently on low heat for seventy-five minutes until the venison is tender.
- 9
Transfer the braised filling into a deep pie dish and leave to cool completely before topping.
- 10
Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- 11
Drape the puff pastry over the pie dish, trim edges, crimp tightly, and cut a steam vent in the centre.
- 12
Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake for thirty minutes until the pastry is puffed and deep golden brown.
Chef's tips
Always cool the game filling before draping the pastry over it, as steam from hot filling melts the butter in raw pastry and prevents a crisp rise. If you cannot source fresh pigeon breasts, simply increase the venison or pheasant proportion.
Ingredient substitutions
- wood pigeon breast fillets → additional wild venison or pheasant breast
- all-butter puff pastry → shortcrust pastry for a denser, traditional estate-style crust
Storage
Store leftover cooled pie in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat uncovered in an oven preheated to 180°C (160°C fan) for twenty minutes until piping hot throughout.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Putting raw pastry over steaming hot filling, which causes a soggy, undercooked crust.
- •Boiling the braise too rapidly, which toughens lean wild game meat.
- •Forgetting to cut a steam vent in the centre of the pastry lid.
Serving suggestions
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