Fallow deer with beetroot and blackcurrants

The day before you plan to serve the dish, prepare the kromeski. Weigh the deer shoulder and rub in 16g of salt per kilogram of meat. Set aside in the fridge to cure for 6 hours

Preheat a water bath to 85°C. Brush off the excess salt, then sear the shoulder in a very hot pan with a splash of oil until golden brown all over. Set aside to cool, then place in a vacuum bag with the chicken stock and cook in the water bath for 8 hours. You can also do this in a lidded casserole dish placed in an oven heated to 85°C – just periodically check it to ensure it isn’t drying out

Once the deer is cooked, remove from the bag and finely shred the meat. Bloom the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. Place a saucepan with a splash of oil over a medium heat and sweat the carrot and shallot with a pinch of salt until soft, then mix this into the picked deer meat. Add the venison sauce and gently warm through, then add the drained gelatine leaves and whisk until dissolved. Season to taste, then pour the mixture into a tray so it is 2cm deep. Place in the fridge and leave to set overnight

The next day, cut the set deer mixture into 2x2cm cubes – you will need 8 for this recipe, but any excess can be frozen. Dust each cube in flour, then dredge in the beaten egg and finally cover in breadcrumbs. Place in the fridge to deep-fry later

Make the blackcurrant gel by combining the purée and agar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then tip into a tray and leave in the fridge to set

For the deer sauce, place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a splash of oil. Add the diced venison and sear until caramelised all over, then add the shallots and mushrooms and continue to cook until caramelised

Add the garlic, herbs and spices, cook for a few minutes until fragrant, then pour in the port, vinegar and red wine and reduce to a glaze

While the wine is reducing, preheat an oven to 175°C/gas mark 4. Toss the beetroots in a little vegetable oil and weigh them. Work out 1% of the total weight, then add this amount of salt. Wrap the beetroot individually in foil, then cook in the oven for 45 minutes, or until a skewer easily pierces the beetroot. Leave to cool, then peel and cut each beetroot into pieces. Set aside but keep the oven on for the deer racks

Once the red wine mixture has reduced to a syrupy consistency, add the stocks and bring to the boil. Skim any scum that rises to the surface and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan, discarding the solids, then reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency. Once happy with the consistency, keep warm. You could also make the sauce a few days in advance and keep it chilled in the fridge, ready to reheat before serving

By now, the blackcurrant gel should have set – transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a squeezy bottle and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve

Season the deer racks with salt and place a heavy ovenproof frying pan over a high heat with a splash of oil. Brown the racks all over in the pan, then transfer to the oven for 8–12 minutes until cooked. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before carving into individual chops

While the venison is cooking, preheat a deep pan of oil or a deep-fat fryer to 180°C, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and place a frying pan over a medium heat with the butter. Trim the leaves from the chard and cut the stems into 5cm batons. Blanch the batons for 1 minute in the water, then transfer to the frying pan along with the chard leaves and beetroot. Cook gently until wilted and warmed through

Deep-fry the venison kromeski in the oil for 5 minutes or until golden brown and piping hot throughout. Place on kitchen paper to drain

To serve, add the diced bone marrow to the hot deer sauce to warm through. Arrange the beetroot and chard stems in a line to one side of each plate. Place the chard leaves alongside, then top with 2 pieces of deer. Place the kromeski next to the beetroot, then pipe dots of blackcurrant gel around the beetroot. Garnish with sprigs of watercress and fresh blackcurrants, then finish with a spoonful of the deer and bone marrow sauce