Duck breast with blackberry sauce

Finely slice the shallots and garlic, add to a saucepan with a knob of butter and gently sweat off until softened. Then add the thyme and the sugar and allow the sugar to cook and caramelise for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine and the port and reduce the sauce down by 3/4 . Now add 2/3 of the punnet of blackberries, the bay leaf and beef stock and gently reduce this down by 2/3. Once reduced, pour through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Cut the remaining blackberries in half and add them to the sauce. Finish with a knob of butter and thicken, if desired, with the cornflour.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 6. Heat a dry frying pan and place the duck breast fat side down into the pan over a moderate heat and fry for a couple of minutes. Turn the breasts over and season the fat with a little salt then place in the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the duck breasts from the oven and allow them to rest for at least 2-3 minutes. Slice the duck breast and drizzle over the rich smooth blackberry sauce.

Tip: This recipe works beautifully with spring onion mash and buttered garden peas.