If you have never tried our venison sausages, this recipe is a good way to start. They are acknowledged as some of the best and this is a marvellous way of cooking them.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb + Venison sausages (ours are usually just over 1lb per pack)
• 8 oz finely diced streaky bacon or pancetta if you prefer
• 6 peeled shallots
• 1 jar of mixed wild mushrooms (fresh are perhaps better but much more expensive, and you can always use ordinary mushrooms)
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• ¾ bottle of red wine
• ½ pint game or chicken stock
• 8oz Crème Fraîche
• 2oz butter
• chopped thyme
• chopped parsley
• 10 juniper berries
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Take a heavy casserole and brown the sausages all over in a little olive oil.
2. Remove the sausages from the pan and fry your bacon, garlic and mushrooms, sprinkled with parsley.
3. For the sauce, put the shallots and red wine in a saucepan and reduce over a low heat until there is only about two to three inches remaining.
4. Add the juniper berries, stock and the Crème Fraîche and reduce again for a further 7 or 8 minutes.
5. Add the partly cooked sausages, the bacon, garlic and mushrooms and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Just before serving, strain the sauce through a sieve, allowing the liquid to run into a heavy saucepan, placing the sausages and other things back in the original pan.
7. Place the sauce back on a low heat.
8. Cut the butter into knobs and add, whisking as you go with a hand whisk.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. The resulting sauce will be a pretty plum colour and taste divine!
11. Pour back over the sausages, sprinkle with chopped parsley and a little thyme and serve with creamy mashed potato and crusty bread to wipe up any extra sauce!