venison, the new third anniversary gift

Forget leather, let's make venison the third anniversary present of choice.

I’ve only had venison twice in my life, and at the same place – Wild Honey. Encrusted with juniper berries and walnuts, the saddle of venison was so succulent, I’ve never dared to try it on my own.

Until now.

It’s our third wedding anniversary, so I’m doing something special. Having pored over my favourite cookery books for ideas, I’ve settled on something rather unconventional for my tastes. I generally snap up any form of seafood on special occasions, but Jamie’s recipe for wild mushroom and venison stroganoff made my mouth water. Brandy, crème fraiche and gherkins add depth to the meat and mushroom’s earthy flavours.

All in all, it seems like a rather healthy meal. Venison's a lean meat, and if you control the olive oil and butter usage, you'll be fine.

Here's how I'm going to change it:
-substitute white rice with brown rice
-stick with olive oil only

If you keep to 2 tbsp olive oil and 50g rice per person, this delectable meal is a respectable 750 cals per serving. Not bad for a third anniversary.