Venison With Seasonal Greens & Barley

Name: Venison With Seasonal Greens & Barley
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 200g pearl barley, washed in a sieve; Sea salt and black pepper; 3 knobs of unsalted butter; 450g venison loin, red or roe deer; A trickle of cold-pressed rapeseed oil (or other cooking oil); A few hard herbs, like thyme and a bay leaf or two; 1 savoy cabbage, or your favourite seasonal greens

preparation 10 minutes
cook time 40 minutes
Serves 4

Venison tenderloins are a beautiful meat cut - treat them like steak and fry them with butter and aromatics. These venison loin fillets are served with barley and seasonal greens; the rich game meat is perfectly balanced by the earthiness of the barley. Use wild game for a really sustainable supper

Recipe provided courtesy of Neil Forbes for Borough Market

Ingredients Method

200g pearl barley, washed in a sieve
Sea salt and black pepper
3 knobs of unsalted butter
450g venison loin, red or roe deer
A trickle of cold-pressed rapeseed oil (or other cooking oil)
A few hard herbs, like thyme and a bay leaf or two
1 savoy cabbage, or your favourite seasonal greens

Drain the barley and place in a pot. Cover with water, season with salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 mins, or until just soft. Drain and add a tablespoon of butter on top. Keep in a warm place.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on a medium heat and season the venison with salt and pepper. Fry in a trickle of rapeseed oil with a knob of butter and some thyme. Baste as you go, cooking for 5-10 mins until golden brown, according to how rare you like your venison.

Allow the venison to rest for at least 5 mins before carving – give it a quick flash under the grill to make it piping hot again if you'd like.

Cut the cabbage into strips and wilt it down in a pot with a knob of butter and salt and pepper. I like it quite crunchy.

To serve, carve the venison and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with the barley and drape the cabbage over and around the meat. The rich flavour of the venison loin fillets pairs perfectly with grains and greens. Delicious and simple - one of our top seasonal recipes for autumn.