Game stock: here’s a tried and tested favourite recipe

Game stock is a real staple in our kitchen throughout the winter. We use it to add to stews, gravies and it works as an incredible base to the most amazing soup.

In this game stock recipe we are using pheasant and partridge (the drumsticks from the pheasants and legs from the partridge) but you can easily use some venison bones after butchering a deer to create an equally amazing venison stock.

(You could use this stock in our popular recipe for bullshot here.)

Game stock recipe

Ingredients

• 10-12 pheasant drumsticks (or a similar amount of whole partridge legs)
• 1 onion chopped in half, skin on
• 2-3 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
• 2-3 spring onions (whole)
• 2 cloves of garlic (whole)
• 1 tsp blackpeppercorns
• 2 litres water

Method

1. Add all of your game stock ingredients into a deep saucepan and cover with the water.
2. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and allow to gently simmer for one to two
   hours. After this time you will find that the stock has reduced in volume, so
   remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Any scum that has developed on top of your stock remove with a slotted spoon.
4. Pour the stock through a sieve into a large jug or bowl to remove the pheasant drumsticks,
   carrot, onion etc.
5. It is ready to use straight away, but once cool you can store in the fridge for up
   to four days before using. You can also pour your stock into containers and
   freeze so that it can be used at a later date.

The finished product. Game stock is a superb base for casseroles, gravies and soups.

See Rose Prince’s recipe for pheasant stock here.