Hare Casserole

This makes a good, rich winter evening meal. Don’t omit the chocolate, which is essential to thicken and enrich the casserole. The beauty of this dish is that it really looks after itself. It is best reheated the next day, as it develops a fuller flavour overnight. Any leftovers can be stripped from the bone and served with pappardelle to make one of the finest pasta dishes ever.

To joint the hares, follow the bone structure: remove the front and back legs and chop the saddle into 3