Wood Pigeon

Wood pigeons are one of the UK’s most common wild birds and, after a winter feeding off the fields, they are at their most plump and tasty. They're also cheap and easy to prepare. With a mild gamey taste, you’ll want to remove the breasts for most recipes and reserve the carcass to make game stock. Ideal for pies and casseroles, pigeon breasts are also fantastic quickly seared – you want some pinkness in the middle – and served on a warming bed of puy lentils or braised red cabbage. While frying or grilling a pigeon breast is a relatively quick affair, make sure you casserole for a good two hours to get the best flavour out of these birds.

Top tip: Try Wood Pigeon, Black Pudding & Bacon Salad (serves 4). Wash 200g of salad leaves and set aside. Heat 3-4tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan and add 200g smoked bacon, or lardons. Cook until crisp then set aside somewhere warm. Add 200g of good-quality, thickly-sliced black pudding to the pan and brown on both sides – add to the bacon. Then add a drop more oil and add four plump wood pigeon breasts to the frying pan. Brown on both sides but don’t let them dry out – they’ll only need 2-3 minutes on each side. Split the lettuce between four plates or large bowls, slice each breast into four pieces and lay on the lettuce bed, along with the black pudding. Add a sprinkling of bacon pieces, season well with salt and pepper and add a splash of balsamic vinegar.