Partridge and Chestnut Soup

Ingredients

4 onions, diced
6 carrots, diced
6 celery sticks, diced
1 head of garlic, crushed
250g butter
350g pancetta, diced
2kg chestnuts, blanched and roughly chopped
partridge stock
wild mushrooms
1 sprig rosemary & bay leaf

Method

1. Sweat the carrot, onion, celery and garlic in the butter.
2. Add the rosemary and sweat for a further 5mins.
3. Add the pancetta and cook for 5mins then add the chestnuts.
4. Add the hot pheasant stock and bay leaf, simmer for 10mins.
5. Blitz and pass the soup through a fine sieve.
6. Correct the seasoning.

To Finish

1. Heat the soup, add enough milk to correct the consistency.
2. Add a knob of butter and froth. Check the seasoning.
3. Finish with sautéed wild mushrooms and shredded partridge pieces.
4. Top with chives and drizzle of bacon fat.