Recipe: Wild Sussex Venison Stew

This recipe is a sponsored collaboration

Local food champions, The Sussex Peasant, offer this simple recipe that's full of rustic flavour and makes the perfect meal to gather family and friends around the table.

As the evenings begin to draw in, there's little more comforting than a slow-cooked stew made with locally sourced ingredients. Wild Sussex venison is naturally lean, rich in flavour and an excellent sustainable choice. Sourced from carefully managed local deer populations, it offers an ethical alternative to intensively farmed meat while helping to protect Sussex's woodlands and wildlife habitats.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

500g/17½oz Sussex Peasant stewing venison

5 smoked streaky bacon rashers, finely diced

2 carrots, finely chopped

200g/7oz mushrooms (shiitake and button)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 x 400g /14oz tin chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato purée

200ml/7fl oz dry white wine or red wine

200ml/7fl oz rich stock

1 tbsp mustard 

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp honey 

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1.) Heat a generous splash of olive oil in a large casserole dish or heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the venison and brown well on all sides to seal in the flavour.

2.) Once the meat is nicely coloured, add the finely chopped carrots, onion, crushed garlic and diced bacon to the pan along with the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Add half the mushrooms (hold back half to add for the last 20 minutes of cooking). Cook for approximately five minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and become fragrant.

3.) Stir through the tomato purée, then add the chopped tomatoes, stock and wine. Season generously with salt and black pepper, then bring everything to a gentle simmer. Add in the mustard, honey and the cider vinegar.

4.) Allow the stew to bubble for a few minutes before reducing the heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook gently for at least an hour, or longer if time allows, until the venison is beautifully tender, and the rich sauce has thickened.

5.) Finish with a few fresh thyme leaves and grate over some mature cheese. Serve piping hot with buttery mashed potato, silky celeriac purée or warm crusty bread.

For more recipes and suggestions, go to The Sussex Peasant website