Recipe Method

Remove the venison from its packaging, pat dry and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.

Remove the venison from the fridge 1 hour before cooking and pat dry.

Season the venison with salt & pepper before coating with oil.

Sear the venison on all sides in a pan over a high heat. About 2 minutes in total in the pan.

Remove the venison, brush lightly with mustard and then place in the fridge to cool.

Blitz the mushrooms in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Finely chop the onion, garlic, a sprig of rosemary and the same amount of thyme.

Add a knob of butter to the same pan you seared the venison in. Over a medium/low heat, cook the onion, garlic, rosemary & thyme for 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Add the mushrooms, mix well and cook for 15-20 minutes, until all the moisture has been removed. Season with salt.

Add the mushroom mix to a large plate and allow to cool entirely. Place in the fridge once it has stopped steaming.

Once everything is cool, place a large sheet of cling film on a clean surface and lay 3 slices of prosciutto in a slightly overlapping row on top. Add the mushrooms on top and gently spread over into a smooth rectangle close to the edges of the prosciutto. Place the venison towards the top of the rectangle and using the cling film, roll the prosciutto around the venison, ensuring that the edges are also tightly wrapped. Once fully encased, roll the venison using the edges of the cling film to wrap it tightly.

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 220˚C/200˚C Fan.

Lay the cold pastry out on a clean surface, unwrap the venison and place towards the top of the pastry. Roll the pastry tightly around the venison and slice away the excess. Press in the ends to seal the pastry and then remove any more excess pastry. Place the wellington on a small sheet of baking paper before putting in the fridge for 10 minutes. Tidy up the wellington and decorate however you wish before egg washing and seasoning with salt. Using the baking paper, place the wellington on the preheated baking tray and add to the oven.

The venison that was used in this recipe weighed approximately 340g and so was cooked for 22 minutes to achieve medium rare.

Turn the baking tray 180˚ halfway through cooking.

Remove the wellington from the oven and rest for 15 minutes.

Slice up the wellington and serve with mash, a red wine sauce, and whatever else you fancy.