November: Our recommendations on the menu this month

What we’ve been eating: Chiltern venison pie, pomme purée, spinach, baby onions

It’s venison season, and our chefs have made this comforting autumnal dish by wrapping a ragù of venison, vegetables and herbs reduced with red wine into flaky hot water pastry. The secret of a great ragù is taking your time on the cooking so that all the flavours mingle to create an intense, complex sauce.
 
We serve it with pomme purée and a rich red wine sauce. Pomme purée is basically mashed potatoes given the classical French treatment, but that short description doesn't really do it justice. Made popular by the late great French chef Joël Robuchon, it is irresistibly silky and deeply decadent, with a smooth texture thanks to a generous amount of butter. Unlike mash, pomme purée is made gently, a labour of love by gradually beating and folding the butter into the potatoes until it binds together as a smooth and luxurious purée.
 
We recommend pairing this dish with a medium-bodied red wine like Kanakaris Agiorgitiko.

What we’ve been drinking: 2021 Lethbridge ‘Between five bells’ amber, Victoria, Australia

‘Between five bells’ is named after the last three words in the first stanza of Kenneth Slessor’s famous poem, ‘Five Bells’. It is understood to tell the tale of the death of Joe Lynch, a friend of the poet’s, and is set on, in and around Sydney Harbour. A beautiful, lyrical poem, it is central to the way winemakers Maree Collis and Ray Nadeson think about this collection.
 
On the nose, it boasts aromas of apricot, peach and citrus; while on the palate, it delivers flavours of honey, marmalade and nutmeg. It also has a medium body and a slight tannin structure that gives it a great mouthfeel.