Buy a mincer. If you butcher your own venison you should not be without one.

Burger recipes are more numerous than car insurance ads on the Internet - this one is mine. It is almost a cross between a burger and the French roadside favourite Steak Haché. Garlic, butter, thyme, Dijon and the usual seasonings and serve pink. The butter is in place of the usual addition of pork fat which I thinks alters the taste away from venison to - something else.

Vary to your heart’s content.

• 500g venison mince

• 4 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

• 2 teaspoons garlic puree

• A good pinch of rubbed thyme (at least a teaspoon)

• A tablespoon of melted butter

• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients well and divide equally into 4 meat balls

Shape to the style of your bun but try not to have them less than 2 cms / 1” thick. This is important as you need to cook them like steak. Brown them in butter equally on both sides until just under your liking and wrap in foil to rest for a few minutes.

Toast your bun, brush the cut side with butter and fry if you are feeling decadent - remember if you stalked, shot and skinned it yourself, you have earned these indulgences. Serve with whatever you like with your burgers. It’s mayo on the bun and chimichurri on the meat for me, but lettuce, sliced tomatoes (a bit of salt on them, just trust me) and sliced sweet pickles. This is not elegant to eat, but then it was never about that, was it?