Ingredients:

1.5 kg  haunch of venison (I used muntjac)

Oil

Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

Half a 680g jar of pitted cherries in syrup

3 heaped tbsp vino cotto

Red wine

A good slug of sloe gin

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 425F/220C/Gas Mark 7.

Rub the haunch of venison generously with salt and then a twist of black pepper.

Heat the fat in a roasting tray and when it is hot, brown the haunch quickly all over.

Put it on a rack in a roasting tin, add a good splash of red wine or stock in the base of the pan and cover with foil.

Cook the haunch at 425F/220C /Gas Mark 7  for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 300F/150C /Gas Mark 2.

The general rule of thumb is to cook it  for 10 minutes per 500g if you want the meat rare and for 15 minutes per 500g if you prefer it medium. I cooked ours for 15 minutes per half-kilo and I would say it was on the rare side of medium-rare after resting. Your oven may vary from mine.

While the meat is cooking, make the sauce.

Put a couple of glasses of red wine into a pan and bring to a medium heat.

Whisk in the vino cotto, add a good slug or two of sloe gin and half the jar of cherries, drained.

Reduce the sauce at a simmer until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Adjust the sweet/sour ratio to taste, set aside and keep warm.

When the meat is cooked to your liking, remove it from the oven, cover the tin loosely in foil, wrap it in a towel and rest it for 20–30 minutes before carving.