Roast Partridge with Bacon and Savoy Cabbage

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 210°C (190°C fan). Take the partridges out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Put a thyme sprig and a lemon half in each cavity, rub the skin with half the butter and season well.

2. 2

   Lay two rashers of bacon over the breast of each bird. Sit the birds in a roasting tin, not touching, and roast for 25 minutes, until the juices from the thigh run clear.

   25 min
3. 3

   Lift the birds onto a warm plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Keep the tin and the bacon.

   10 min
4. 4

   Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a large pan. Cook the shallots for 4 minutes, add the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until just tender.

   9 min
5. 5

   Put the roasting tin on the hob over a medium heat and add the wine. Scrape up the sticky bits, then add the stock cube dissolved in the boiling water and boil for 6 minutes until reduced by half.

   6 min
6. 6

   Chop the cooked bacon and stir it into the cabbage. Serve each partridge on a bed of cabbage with the pan juices spooned over.