Guinea fowl with braised celery and chestnuts

Serves 6

Preparation time 20 minutes

Cooking time 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Knob of good butter

2 guinea fowl, jointed and skinned from Furness Fish & Game

18 shallots, peeled

4 rashers streaky bacon, thickly sliced from Sillfield Farm

4 sticks celery cut in 3 cm lengths

100ml good chicken stock

4 tablespoons of crème fraiche

1 tablespoon of chopped tarragon leaves from Elsey & Bent

75g cooked chestnuts

Method

Take a large deep frying pan and heat it well along with the butter. Brown the guinea fowl on all sides then add the shallots and bacon. Carry on cooking until the shallots start to take on some colour.

Add the celery to the pan and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Pour in the stock, season cover and simmer for around 30 minutes.

Remove the lid, stirring in the crème fraiche and tarragon. Press the chestnuts with your fingers to roughly crumble them in to the sauce. Bubble for a few more minutes.

Check the seasoning then serve with mashed potatoes and some crunchy winter greens.