Our Norfolk Christmas Tradition: Slow-Cooked Venison Stew

Living in Norfolk, we’re surrounded by some of the most beautiful wildlife. Deer are part of the landscape here, and there are certainly plenty of them. It might seem an unusual starting point for a Christmas tradition, but in recent years venison stew has become our Christmas Day meal — and I wouldn’t change it.

For years I cooked a beef stew inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe. I’ve adapted it so much over time that it changes depending on what’s in the fridge: leeks or celery, carrots and onions, sometimes potatoes or sweet potatoes. It works just as well with beef as with venison. The secret is to cook it long and low, whether you use a slow cooker or a covered casserole in the oven: gentle heat gives the meat time to soften and the tomatoes, red wine and herbs time to develop a rich sauce. So thank you to Jamie for the original inspiration; this is the version that’s become ours.

A more relaxed Christmas

I used to find that cooking a traditional roast dinner on Christmas Day meant spending far too much of the day in the kitchen. I love good food, but I also want to enjoy Christmas. Now I make a generous pot of venison stew on Christmas Eve, cool and refrigerate it promptly overnight, then reheat it thoroughly on the hob before transferring it to the slow cooker to keep hot on Christmas Day. All we need alongside it is a tray of crispy potatoes. It’s delicious, everybody enjoys it, and there’s no pressure on anyone.

And it keeps giving. One generous batch can provide meals over three days, with different accompaniments so it never feels quite the same: crispy potatoes and greens one day, buttery mashed potato or jacket potatoes the next, or simply rice. It takes very little extra effort, and everyone can choose what they fancy. That’s my kind of Christmas.

Christmas Eve Venison Stew

Serves: 8–10 generously, with leftovers depending on appetites
Preparation: about 25 minutes
Cooking: 6–8 hours on LOW in a slow cooker, or around 3–4 hours in a covered casserole at 150°C / 130°C fan / 300°F, until tender
Make ahead: ideal for Christmas Eve

Ingredients

• 1.5–2kg (3⅓–4½lb) diced venison stewing meat, or beef
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3–4 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced, or 3 celery sticks, chopped — or a mixture
• 2–3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1–2 tablespoons olive oil or another cooking fat, for browning
• 2 tablespoons plain flour (optional, for thickening)
• 2 × 400g (14oz) tins plum tomatoes, broken up
• 300ml (about 1¼ US cups) red wine
• 300–500ml (about 1¼–2 US cups) beef stock, enough to keep the ingredients comfortably moist
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 bay leaves
• 4–6 dried juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)
• 1–2 sweet potatoes or ordinary potatoes, cut into chunks (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Brown the meat. Heat a little oil or cooking fat in a large frying pan. Brown the venison in batches, then transfer it to the slow cooker. Don’t crowd the pan.
2. Soften the vegetables. In the same pan, cook the onions, carrots and your choice of leeks or celery for a few minutes. Add the garlic briefly. If using flour, stir it through and cook for a minute.
3. Build the sauce. Pour in the red wine and scrape up the lovely browned bits from the pan. Add the plum tomatoes, beef stock, rosemary, bay leaves and juniper berries, if using. Bring to a simmer.
4. Cook long and low. For the slow cooker, tip everything into the cooker, adding optional potato or sweet potato if using, then cover and cook on LOW for about 6–8 hours, until the venison is meltingly tender. Alternatively, transfer everything to a lidded, ovenproof casserole and cook in a low oven at 150°C / 130°C fan / 300°F for approximately 3–4 hours, checking occasionally. Add a splash of hot stock if it looks dry. Timing depends on the cut and size of the pieces: tenderness matters more than the clock.
5. Finish. Remove the rosemary stalks and bay leaves. Taste and season. If the sauce needs thickening, cook uncovered in a pan to reduce it, or use a little cornflour mixed with cold water.
6. Serve. On Christmas Day, reheat the stew until piping hot throughout and serve with crispy roast potatoes. Jacket potatoes are lovely with leftovers, too.

A little in store: use what you have

There’s no need to buy every vegetable on the list. Leeks or celery both work; use whichever is already in the fridge. A stray sweet potato is welcome, as are a few ordinary potatoes. Dried rosemary is fine if you don’t have fresh, and juniper berries add a lovely woodland note but aren’t essential. The combination of red wine, tomatoes and herbs does much of the work.

A note about venison: it can be very lean, so don’t overdo the browning or let the stew cook dry. A little extra cooking fat can help, especially with particularly lean cuts. Choose venison sold for slow cooking, and cook until it is tender rather than relying on the clock alone. Beef stewing cuts work beautifully here too.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day

Because this is such a big batch, food safety matters. Don’t leave a full slow-cooker pot cooling on the counter overnight: divide the cooked stew into shallow containers, cool it promptly and refrigerate within two hours. The next day, reheat only what you need until steaming hot throughout; a slow cooker is best for holding already-hot food rather than slowly reheating cold leftovers. Bring the stew to a thorough simmer on the hob first, then transfer it to the preheated slow cooker to keep hot for serving. Refrigerate any untouched portions promptly and reheat each portion only once. Freeze extra portions if they won’t be eaten within 48 hours.

For me, this is what a Christmas meal should feel like: generous, comforting and shared, without one person missing the day because they’re busy cooking. It also means we can enjoy a proper break on Christmas Day — perhaps a lovely walk on one of our Norfolk beaches with the dogs, breathing in the sea air rather than spending hours in the kitchen. When we get home, we can reheat the stew thoroughly, pop some crispy potatoes in the oven and sit down to a wonderful meal without any fuss. And the stew tastes even better after the flavours have had time to settle.

Inspired by a Jamie Oliver beef stew I’ve cooked for years, and adapted over time for our family, our Norfolk Christmases and whatever happens to be in the cupboard.