(Serves 4)

4 partridges

250g sweet grapes, halved and deseeded if necessary

45g butter

4 squares of pork back fat, or 4-6 rashers of streaky bacon

150ml Madeira, or a medium-sweet white wine

100ml game or chicken stock

85g walnut halves

Salt and pepper

METHOD

Pre-heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

Season the partridge with salt and pepper. Push two grapes (i.e. four halves) and a small knob of butter inside each bird.

Tie squares of pork fat, or strips of bacon cut in half, over the breast of each one. Place in a roasting tin and pour over the Madeira or white wine and the stock.

Roast for 25 minutes or so, until cooked through, basting frequently with the liquids. Remove the pork fat and return to the oven (having basted the birds again) for 5 to 10 minutes until beginning to colour.

Now add the grapes and walnuts to the tin and return to the oven for a final five minutes or so to finish browning the birds.

Transfer them to a warm serving dish, scoop the grapes and walnuts out too with a slotted spoon, and spoon around the birds. Let them rest in a warm place for five minutes while you finish the sauce and get vegetables sorted.

To make the sauce, taste the pan juices - if they are a touch on the weak side, boil down for a few minutes to concentrate. Now add the remaining butter in small pieces and shake over the heat until it has dissolved into the sauce, thickening it lightly.

Spoon over the birds, grapes and walnuts and serve.