• 70 g butter
• l00 g thick-cut bacon, cut into strips
• 8 shallots, finely diced
• 3 pigeons, cut in half (ask the butcher to do this)
• 100 ml white wine
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 1 bouquet garni
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 kg freshly shelled peas
• 10 g unrefined brown sugar
• 1 soft lettuce, such as Batavia or butterhead (Webbs), finely sliced
• 5 spring onions, finely sliced
• a bunch of mint, finely chopped

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the bacon and shallots and cook until just golden, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the pigeons and lightly brown all over on the outside. Add the white wine, stock, bouquet garni and seasoning, then return the cooked bacon and shallots and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the peas, sugar and lettuce, stir well and simmer for a further 15 minutes, turning the pigeons so that they cook evenly.

Add the spring onions for the final 2 minutes of cooking. Serve garnished with freshly chopped mint leaves.