Venison Wellington with chopped livers and cauliflower cheese

Wellington has to be one of my favourite dishes of all time – the crackle of the breaking puff pastry shell followed by the steaming moist meat of the rare fillet inside. Comfy, cosy and filling – this dish has all the things you want when it’s soggy and grim outside.

Venison also has to be one of my favourite meats. A rich gamey fillet encased in golden pastry surely makes for the perfect dish. I first tried venison Wellington in a restaurant a few months ago – an experience that has undoubtedly made it into my top 10 meals of all time. Now however, it’s time to try and make my own!

Ingredients
- 500-600g venison loin
- 2 x tbsp juniper berries (crushed)
- Knob of butter
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 x duck egg (beaten)
- 1 pack of ready-rolled puff pastry

For the livers
- Knob of butter
- 300g chicken livers
- 1 x shallot (finely chopped)
- 2 x garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- Pinch of salt and pepper

Cauliflower cheese
- 1 x cauliflower
- 120 ml double cream
- 100g parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1 x tbsp wholegrain mustard

Take the venison loin and season with the juniper berries, salt and pepper. Set aside for a few minutes – ten should do.

Melt one knob of butter in a large frying pan over a high heat and when foaming add the venison. Sear the meat on all sides until it is coloured but not cooked. Remove the loin from the pan and let the meat rest for another ten minutes.

While the meat is resting, melt the remaining butter in a small frying pan and add the chopped shallot and garlic. Sweat gently over a medium heat until the shallot is starting to colour. Add the chicken livers to the pan and turn up to a high heat. Cook the livers for a couple of minutes on each side or until cooked through. Blitz the livers, garlic and shallot with a food processor and set aside.

Take the pastry – I always use the ready rolled stuff as this prevents me making an utter mess – and cut to be large enough to wrap around the venison loin.

Spread a thin layer of the liver mixture evenly on the surface of the pastry and place the venison loin on top. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg mixture and fold the pastry over so the meat is snug and fully wrapped. Trim off any excess pastry and place the Wellington on a baking tray.

Brush the Wellington with more beaten egg mixture and cook in pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. The oven temperature should be 200⁰C/Gas 6.

Take the cauliflower and cut in half vertically. Cut two centimetre slices of cauliflower and blanch for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain the cauliflower and sear both sides in a hot dry frying pan until golden.

Before serving place the cream, parmesan and wholegrain mustard in a small pan heat gently over a low heat, stirring until the cheese has fully melted. Spread a thick arch of cheesy sauce on a plate and place the cauliflower on top.

Chop a couple of thick slices of Wellington and add to the plate. Garnish with a few lush green pea tops and enjoy with a large glass of red. A Barossa Valley Syrah will probably do the trick!