Soup Light Bites Lunch

Pheasant Cock-a-leekie Soup

This Scottish soup is traditionally made with chicken and leeks, and thickened with rice or barley. It's then flavoured with sweet prunes and salty bacon, which adds a really interesting depth to the dish. This version, however, uses wild pheasant. The lean meat tastes delicious when simmered in the fragrant broth - delicious cold weather comfort food!

15 minutes prep, 1 hour cook

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the pheasant stock:

Wild and Game whole pheasant

2 sticks of celery, cut into large pieces

2 large carrots, cut into large pieces

One onion, quartered (you can leave the skin on)

4 peppercorns

2 cloves

1 Bay leaf

Bouquet garni or any woody fresh herbs such as thyme, sage or rosemary

For the soup:

Shredded pheasant (made during step 1)

1.5l pheasant stock (made during step 1)

4 large leeks, sliced

2 stocks of celery, diced

1 onion, diced

4 carrots, diced

1 glass of white wine

2 bay leaves

150g white rice, rinsed

100g prunes, sliced into fine strips

A generous handful of fresh parsley

Vegetable oil

Method

Place the pheasant and all the stock ingredients in a pot and add enough water to submerge everything. Bring to the boil.

Simmer for 30 minutes then check the pheasant is cooked by piercing the inside of the leg to see if the juices run clear. When they do, turn off the heat and leave the pheasant to sit in the stock for 10 minutes.

Remove the pheasant and let it cool. Drain out the vegetables and reserve the stock for use in the soup. If you have more than 1.5 litres, boil it for a while to reduce it. If you don’t have 1.5 litres, add a little water.

When the pheasant is cool enough, remove the meat and shred it using two forks to pull the meat in opposite directions. Set aside.

Pour a glug or two of vegetable oil into a pan. Heat and fry the onion and celery until soft.

Add the carrot and leek and cook for a minute.

Add the wine and bubble for a couple of minutes.

Add the stock, rice, bay leaves and pheasant. Cook for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp. Pour off any excess fat and add the prunes and cook until heated through.

Once the soup is ready, season to taste and serve immediately, topped with the parsley, bacon and prunes.