There’s something magical about cooking with game; it’s rich, full of flavour, and brings the countryside straight to your table. For those who love country sports or the idea of foraging for their own ingredients, game meats like pheasant, partridge, duck, and venison are a nod to tradition and the great outdoors.
This Gamekeepers Pie is the perfect way to showcase these flavours in a hearty, warming dish that’s perfect for chilly evenings – so satisfying to serve up after a day in the fresh air!
This recipe is brilliant for those days when you have a selection of game —you can easily swap in rabbit, wood pigeon, or hare. The joy of this recipe is its flexibility and celebration of truly local, seasonal produce.
Ingredients:
- Diced game meat (pheasant, partridge, duck, venison—or wood pigeon, rabbit, hare)
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
- Half a celeriac, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic (or smoked garlic for extra depth), minced
- 1 teaspoon adjika (walnut adjika adds a lovely nutty twist)
- Wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups pheasant stock (or any game stock)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 4-5 allspice berries
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon tomato puree
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Butter and milk for mashing
Heat a deep pan over medium heat. Add a touch of oil or butter and toss in your finely chopped onion and garlic. Let them brown gently until they’re golden and fragrant. If you’re using smoked garlic, this is where that lovely, woody aroma will start to fill your kitchen.
Remove the onions and garlic from the pan, set them aside, and add your diced game meat. Sear the meat on all sides until it has a nice browned crust—this seals in the flavour and sets the stage for that deep, savoury base.
Return the onions and garlic to the pan. Add in the diced celery, a teaspoon of tomato puree, and your chosen adjika if you want that hint of spice and depth. Walnut adjika is my go-to; it adds a slight earthiness that pairs beautifully with game.
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for a minute or two to cook off the alcohol. Add the pheasant stock, wild mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, allspice berries, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Bring everything to a simmer, reduce the heat, and let it cook gently until the meat is tender and the stock has reduced.
While the meat mixture simmers, boil the potatoes, parsnips, and celeriac until soft. Drain and mash with butter and a splash of milk for a creamy, fluffy topping.
Preheat your oven to a high setting (around 220°C). Drain most of the stock from the meat mixture (you can keep this for gravy), then spoon the meat into a deep ovenproof dish. Spread the mash over the top, fluff it up with a fork for those crispy edges, and pop a slice of butter on top.
Place the dish in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.
Dish up your Gamekeepers Pie piping hot, ideally with some seasonal green vegetables on the side.
This pie is a celebration of simple seasonal ingredients and bold, hearty flavours. It’s a dish best enjoyed by the fire with a good glass of red wine after a day spent enjoying everything the countryside has to offer. Happy cooking!
