Game Pie

Description
For this recipe choose older birds or woodpigeons, rather than young roasting game.

Ingredients

 * 2-4 Game birds - according to size (pheasant, grouse, partridge, woodpigeon)
 * 1 bouquet garni
 * stock or water
 * 1 large onion, chopped,
 * 250 g (9 oz) mushrooms, sliced
 * 60 g (2 oz) butter
 * 1 rounded tablespoon plain flour
 * 6 – 8 rashers bacon (optional),
 * 3 – 4 Hard-boiled eggs, quartered
 * salt
 * pepper
 * parsley
 * Puff or shortcrust pastry
 * Beaten egg for glazing

Directions

 * 1) Put the birds into a pan with the bouquet garni and cover with stock or water plus salt and pepper.
 * 2) Simmer, covered, until the meat begins to part from the bone, and can be cut away from the carcass in good-sized pieces. Arrange them in a pie dish.
 * 3) Brown the onion and mushrooms lightly in the butter - they should be golden rather than deep brown. Stir in the flour, and enough stock to make a rich, fairly thick but not gluey sauce.
 * 4) Simmer while you cut the rashers into convenient-sized pieces for small rolls: these should be lightly grilled, then arranged round the meat, along with the pieces of hard-boiled egg.
 * 5) Season with salt, pepper and chopped parsley. Pour over the onion and mushroom sauce which should come to within half an inch of the top of the pie dish.
 * 6) Cover with puff or shortcrust pastry in the usual way (puff pastry is traditionally used, but many people prefer a good shortcrust with meat).
 * 7) Brush over with beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes at 220°C / 425°F / Gas mark 7.
 * 8) The heat may be lowered once the pastry has risen well (puff) and is nicely browned (puff and shortcrust).