Game Terrine

1.Prepare the Game

Place the mallard legs in an oven proof dish and cover with vegetable oil, then put in the oven at 90°C and set to cook for 4 hours.

While you wait for the mallard, pan fry the quail for 2 minutes at around 180°C to seal both sides. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Roast the partridge breasts with the butter and star anise for 10 minutes at around 180°C. Once cooked, set aside with the quail breasts.

When the mallard legs are cooked, drain the fat into a pan and allow to cool. Pick off all of the meat from the bone, taking care to not add any gristle or bone, and tip the meat into a mixing bowl.

2. Heat the chicken stock

Heat the 200ml of chicken stock in a pan and soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water.

3. Mix Game and season

Slice the pheasant and quail thinly, mix with the mallard meat and season with salt and pepper. Add the sherry vinegar and juniper berries.

4. Prepare carrots

Make long strips of carrot using a vegetable peeler, then add the carrot strips and the softened gelatine to the hot chicken stock

Allow the carrots to soften slightly then remove and pour the stock over the meat mix. You should be left with a seasoned wet game mix and partially cooked carrot strips.

5. Layer the terrine and refrigerate

Line a loaf tin with cling film, leaving excess to fold over the edges. Layer a portion of the meat mix over the bottom of the tin, followed by a layer of carrot, then meat, repeating the process until the tin is almost full, then wrap the excess cling film over the top of the terrine. Place the second loaf tin on top to act as a weight.

Wrap both tins together with cling film to press the terrine. Put this in the fridge to set with a weight on top for at least 4 hours – ideally, leave it overnight.

6. Begin the mayonnaise

If you’re making the mayonnaise, bring a pan of water to a rolling simmer and soft boil the 3 chicken eggs for 4 mins 30 seconds. Take off the heat and submerge the eggs in icy water.

Dry fry the curry powder in a pan and then add the rapeseed oil. Stir, then set to one side to cool.

7. Mix the mayonnaise

Peel the soft-boiled eggs and blend on a slow speed with the white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. Add the curry oil until the mixture thickens and starts to look like mayonnaise. If it doesn’t seem thick enough, slowly add more vegetable oil until it’s the right consistency.

8. Boil the quail eggs

Now, prepare the quail eggs. They’re fragile and cook rapidly, so bring a large pan of water to a fast boil and set up a bowl of cold water with ice cubes next to the hob. Get a timer ready for 2 minutes 20 seconds, drop the quail eggs into the water and set the timer to go.

9. Remove eggs and peel

When the timer goes off, scoop out the eggs with a slotted spoon and drop them into the icy water. Gently peel the eggs once they’re cool, store in a container and put them in the fridge for later. Don’t worry if you lose some of the eggs; we’ve suggested 12 so that you still have enough if any break or are overcooked.

10. Plate up

On each plate, serve a piece of terrine around 2cm thick, a quail egg (slice off the base to make it stand on its end) and a spoonful of curry mayonnaise.

11. Garnish

To finish, garnish the whole dish with a handful of watercress and chunks of rustic bread.