“I’ve been making this dish for 30 years. It’s earthy, simple, and the flavours just work. I have tried growing celeriac, but they are tricky and don’t seem to grow very big—I’m not sure why. Pigeon is readily available most of the year, so try a good butcher or a farmers’ market for a local game dealer. They’re not expensive either. Remember to keep the breasts pink and quite rare otherwise they can be quite tough.”

Serves 4

INGERDIENTS

4 breasts wild wood pigeon

4 whole beetroots, scrubbed

1 celeriac, peeled and washed

A few sprigs of thyme

4 slithers of garlic

A handful of wild garlic

250ml double cream

1 tablespoon cold-pressed rapeseed oil

Good salt and pepper

METHOD

Place the scrubbed beetroots in a pot, season with salt and cover with water then bring to the boil and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. When they are cool, scrape away the skin and cut them in half. Next place a few sprigs of thyme on an ovenproof tray and lay the beetroot halves on top. Season them with salt and pepper and a wee squirt of rapeseed oil then bake for 25 minutes in a hot oven (200°C).

Dice the celeriac to 1/2cm cubes, place in a pot and cover with the cream. Add a few sprigs of thyme, 2 slithers of garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until just soft.

Whilst all this is happening, place a frying pan with the rapeseed oil on the hob and bring it to a moderate heat. Season the pigeon and add to the pan. Add a few sprigs of thyme and 2 slithers of garlic and colour the pigeon a 2 – 3 minutes each side, no longer. It should still be nice and pink inside. Remove the pigeon from the pan and leave it to rest in a warm place.

Add the wild garlic to the same pan, season it with salt and pepper, and cook until it wilts down in the pigeon juices.

To serve, spoon the creamy celeriac into the centre of each plate, then slice the pigeon breasts lengthways and arrange on top the celeriac. Arrange the beetroot around the plate and drape the wild garlic over the dish.

Finish with a wee pinch of good salt and serve.