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James's Juniper Pigeon Pie Pumpkin Seed Puff

4 x squab (farmed pigeon) if you can get them or wood pigeon qv below)
    sea salt and black pepper
30 gm butter
    olive oil
100 gm bacon lardons
12 sm shallots peeled and left whole
3 clv garlic chopped
1 sprg rosemary needles roughly chopped
12 x juniper berries crushed (use the back of a spoon)
2 tbl flour
200 ml white wine
100 ml chicken stock
15 gm dried morels (optional) soaked in a cup of water until soft
1/2 sm butternut squash peeled deseeded and chopped into chunks
    Handful raisins
1 pkt readyrolled puff pastry
1 x egg lightly beaten to glaze
1 tbl pumpkin seeds

 Method :
Rub the squab with salt and pepper inside and out then brown all over in the butter and a dash of olive oil.
Put each one into a small pie dish.
Next fry the bacon lardons in the same fat along with the whole shallots until the lardons are beginning to crisp and the shallots are scorched with some colour.
Stir in the garlic rosemary and crushed juniper berries and gently fry until the garlic is just beginning to brown.
Add more oil if necessary.
Next stir in the flour and cook until lightly coloured.
Gradually add the wine then the stock and mushroom water (if using morels) and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile distribute the chunks of squash around the birds in their pie dishes if there are too many push them inside the birds.
Add the morels (if using) and raisins then spoon the shallots bacon bits and juniper around each one.
You can keep them like this clingfilmed for a good 24 hours in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. When ready to bake stamp out four circles of pastry the width of each dish cut an oval in the centre of each and fit over each bird (legs through first).
Brush the pastry with beaten egg sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and brush with more egg then bake for about 45 minutes.
Turn down the heat to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 if the pastry starts to catch.
Wood pigeons are gamier and have less meat than farmed pigeon (squab). They can be tough if overcooked but if bathed in wine overnight before cooking they tenderise up nicely. If you feel so inclined you can add some morel mushrooms (which actually appear in spring but have more flavour when dried) to give a touch of woodsmoke and complete the idea of a potted woodland harvest.
Makes 4 individual pies