Recipe of the Month

Chef Will Devlin is the founder of Acre, a family of restaurant and hospitality event spaces in Kent and Sussex including The Small Holding and Birchwood. In partnership with Payne & Gunter and inspired by the ethos of The Small Holding, Will Devlin has created a bespoke menu for Garsington Opera that highlights the finest seasonal ingredients. Using produce from his own one-acre farm, along with carefully sourced ingredients from local producers close to Wormsley, the menu captures the true taste of the English countryside.

Leading up to the 2025 Season, Will Devlin has curated a recipe of the month for Garsington Opera. Each recipe is thoughtfully designed to reflect the essence of the changing seasons and celebrate British ingredients. These recipes are designed for you to try and create at home.

January Recipe

Loin of venison with chestnuts, bacon and cabbage

Serves two

Ingredients 

• Two x 200g venison loin pieces, trimmed of any sinew
• 300g winter cabbage such as savoy or cavolo nero, washed and shredded
• 100g chestnuts, either vac packed or roasted and deshelled weight
• 100g smoked belly bacon
• Four cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
• Three sprigs thyme
• 500ml beef or chicken stock
• 250ml red wine
• 150g unsalted butter

Method

1. Prepare the sauce by simmering the stock and wine until reduced by three quarters and intensely flavoured. Keep warm.
2. Season the venison pieces well with salt and pepper and sear in a medium hot pan with a little rapeseed oil, turning often for an even colour all over. Add 50g butter, two lightly crushed garlic cloves and a sprig of thyme. Keep spooning the foaming brown butter over the venison as it pan-roasts, for about four minutes. At this stage it should feel firm to touch and will be medium rare on the inside and caramelised and golden on the outside. Keep warm and leave to rest. 
3. In a small frying pan, add a drizzle of rapeseed oil and the bacon and fry until the fat renders and is crispy. Add the chestnuts and coat in the bacon fat until starting to caramelise and add the reduced stock and wine liquid to deglaze the pan. Stir and keep warm.  
4. In a small saucepan, with a lid, add 100g of butter and the remaining cloves of garlic and thyme. Stir until melted and you can smell the garlic and add the finely chopped cabbage. Stir and replace the lid, moving the pan every so often while the cabbage cooks in its own steam. Remove the garlic cloves and thyme and season with salt.
5. To serve, slice each venison loin into three or four pieces and plate with the cabbage and bacon and chestnut sauce. Delicious served with mashed potato and swede and a glass of the same wine used in the sauce.