Ingredients:

750g lean game meat: choose from pheasant, partridge, duck and pigeon breasts, saddle and hindquarters of rabbit and venison leg or fillet

Salt and pepper

300g unsmoked streaky bacon to line the dish

For the forcemeat:

500g good quality sausage meat

About 175g chicken livers or livers from the game

2 handfuls fresh white breadcrumbs

1 egg

3 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Leaves picked from a few sprigs of thyme

5-6 juniper berries, crushed

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

Splash of red wine

Splash of brandy

Plenty of salt and pepper

Method:

Make the forcemeat – chop the livers finely and add to a large bowl with the sausage meat.

Combine, then add the breadcrumbs, egg, herbs, juniper berries and garlic. Add a splash each of red wine and brandy, season well with salt and pepper and mix everything together thoroughly.

Cut the game into similar-sized pieces, about one or two fingers thick.

Remove any rind from the bacon and run the back of a heavy knife along each rasher to stretch it out. Use it to line a 1kg loaf tin or terrine, overlapping the rashers slightly and leaving enough hanging over the edge of the dish to fold over the top later.

Arrange a layer of forcemeat in the terrine, followed by a layer of game meat, repeating until you get to the top and ending with a layer of forcemeat. Make sure you season each layer with salt and pepper as you go.

Fold the ends of the bacon rashers over the top and cover well with kitchen foil (or foil and a lid).

Put the terrine in a roasting dish half filled with water and place in an oven preheated to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3 for about one and a half to two hours. Top up the water if necessary.

To check whether it’s done insert a metal skewer into the centre of the terrine – it should come out piping hot. If not, it’s not ready.

When it’s done, place a piece of wood that fits snugly inside the terrine on top and weight it down well. If you don’t have heavy weights, use a well-wrapped brick or two. Leave it overnight or until completely cold.

To serve, dip the base of the terrine quickly into hot water and invert the dish onto a board or platter. Slice thickly with a very sharp knife.

This will freeze, very well wrapped, for a month or two. Make sure it is fully defrosted before eating.