Partridge tagine with olives and prunes is always tender and full of flavour. It is the perfect dish to serve after a stormy dog walk or a long days shooting. This delicious tagine is just one of our 10 best partridge recipes to choose from.

Tagine cooking is an art that dates back centuries and recipes have developed over time to include a wide mixture of savoury ingredients. Tagines are very similar to stews and have a rich spicy sauce which thickens due to the long cooking process and can take a while if you want to maximize all of the flavours. Fruits, like prunes, are a wonderful addition and add a subtle sweetness to the overall flavour. The use of olives in this recipe balances these sweet flavours and adds a sharp finish to the partridge stew with olives and prunes.

PARTRIDGE STEW WITH OLIVES AND PRUNES

Serves 6
■ 6 partridges, cut into quarters (it will be easier if you
first spatchcock them using the method for harissa roast
■ 3tbsp olive oil
■ 6 cloves garlic
■ 1 bunch coriander
■ 2 red onions, sliced
■ 200g(7oz) baby onions, whole and peeled
■ 1tbsp harissa
■ 100g(31⁄2oz)prunes, pitted
■ 1 pinch saffron
■ 1 cinnamon stick
■ 1tsp toasted cumin seeds
■ 1 glass white wine
■ 250ml(9fl oz) chicken stock
■ 100g(31⁄2oz)green olives
■ Peel of 1 lemon

A slow-cooked stew usually laden with spices and quite often fruit, the tagine is traditionally made in a clay pot with a conical lid. These are available in cookshops but you can make a perfectly acceptable tagine in a shallow casserole.

You will need a big shallow pan for this partridge stew with olives and prunes, at least 30cm across and 10cm deep. Brown the bird chunks in the oil until golden. Remove the browned meat and add the garlic (whole), chopped coriander stalks, sliced red onions, whole baby onions, harissa and prunes. Cook for five minutes, then add the saffron, spices, white wine and chicken stock. Add the olives and the peel of a lemon andput the partridges back in. Mix well, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

At the last minute stir in a couple of handfuls of chopped coriander leaves. Then place your partridge stew with olives and prunes on the table in a whacking great serving dish with piles of flatbreads, couscous and rough, cold white wine.