Traditional British Game Pie Recipe

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 11/25/21
traditional-game-pie
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Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 100 mins
Total: 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 1 pie
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1285 Calories
57g Fat
112g Carbs
77g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 1285
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 57g 74%
Saturated Fat 30g 148%
Cholesterol 301mg 100%
Sodium 1421mg 62%
Total Carbohydrate 112g 41%
Dietary Fiber 7g 25%
Total Sugars 40g
Protein 77g
Vitamin C 12mg 58%
Calcium 155mg 12%
Iron 12mg 68%
Potassium 1394mg 30%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

British game is in season from August through early in the new year, depending on which game you want to use. You can also buy your game from a good butcher as well as online, often year-round, but this will have been frozen if out of season. Although eating game is somehow not quite right in the warmer months. 

For this recipe, use whichever game you most enjoy. A mixture of different meat is recommended, though, to create a more interesting pie. Serve generous size portions with creamy mash, steamed savoy cabbage, and red onion.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) mixed game meat (e.g., venison, rabbit, pheasant, and pigeon)

  • 2 large red onions, diced

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

  • 120 grams (4 1/2 ounces) smoked back bacon, diced

  • 120 grams (4 1/2 ounces) field mushrooms, sliced

  • 28 grams (1 ounce) all-purpose flour, plus more for skillet

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 4 bay leaves

  • 2 tablespoons orange zest

  • 4 tablespoons orange juice

  • 1 tablespoon red currant jelly

  • 300 milliliters (1 1/4 cups) chicken stock

  • 70 milliliters (1/3 cup) port wine

  • 1.2 kilograms (2 2/3 pounds) shortcrust pastry

  • 1 handful dried cranberries, optional

  • 1 large free-range egg, beaten

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan, brown the game meat in batches, and keep to one side.

  3. Heat the rest of the oil, cook the onions until starting to soften but not color. Add the garlic, bacon, and mushrooms and then cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

  4. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper, and stir in the bay leaves, orange juice and zest, red currant jelly, stock, and port wine.

  5. Bring to boil, add the meat, and simmer gently for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Allow to cool.

  6. Heat the oven to 375 F (Gas 5).

  7. Flour the inside of metal skillet—do not grease. Roll out enough pastry to fit the inside of the skillet plus 1 centimeter. Gently press the pastry base into the skillet leaving an overhang of 1 centimeter. Fill the pastry case with the meat mixture and cranberries if using. Roll out the remaining pastry for a lid. Brush the top edge of the pastry base with beaten egg and lay the pastry lid on top. Press down edges with the end of a spoon. Cut a steam hole in the center. Brush the pastry with beaten egg to glaze.

  8. Bake for 30 minutes on the bottom shelf of the oven followed by 30 minutes on the top shelf, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is piping hot.

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