Braised guinea fowl with apples

Method

1 Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan oven) gas mark 3.

2 Peel and slice the onion and dice the bacon. Heat the olive oil and half of the butter in a large, deep casserole dish over a medium heat. Add the bacon and onion and cook gently until the fat has run from the bacon and the onion has started to colour. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon.

3 Add the guinea fowl to the pan and brown really well on all sides adding a little extra olive oil if necessary. You may need to do these one at a time. Remove from the pan.

4 Cut the cabbage into quarters and shred. Return the onions and bacon to the pan, add the crushed garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, until it begins to soften. Season well and add the guinea fowl, breast-side down. Add the stock, cider, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

5 Meanwhile, quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter in half again. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the apple wedges and sauté on both sides until golden brown. Add the apples to the casserole dish, turn the guinea fowl breast-side up, cover and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the birds are cooked through. Serve with mashed or baked potatoes.

Recipe by Annie Rigg