Roast Pigeon with Bitter Orange Sauce

Perhaps because they are so common and therefore (relatively) so cheap, the wood pigeon is a grievously underrated bird, with a flavour all its own. More interesting than venison, less extreme than hare, sweeter than much of the wild duck family, for me the pigeon is definitely the poor man’s grouse. They do need careful cooking, though, as like all game birds they are lean, muscular and fit – unlike our soft and nambypamby chickens – so tend to dry out very easily. The trick is (as always