Similar to the venison with blueberries I cooked a while back, but possibly even better. The redcurrants have a sourness that blueberries lack, and when you bite into a whole one that hasn't collapsed in the heat of the pan, its sweet-sour juice against the iron gameyness of the venison is beautiful. Redcurrants seem to me rather festive right now, even though they're not in season - I picked this lot up at the farmer's market in October and froze them for an occasion such as this. Perhaps it's because the currants look like holly berries with a dusting of ice (courtesy of the freezer), but this to me seems a quintessential pre-Christmas dish.

It's also very simple, using the same method as the duck with figs I cooked a while ago: sear the meat in a pan on each side, remove and leave to rest, pour some red wine into the pan and allow to bubble, stir in a teaspoon of redcurrant jelly, some seasoning, thyme, and fresh redcurrants, and wait for the sauce to reduce and become syrupy before pouring it over the meat. Simple mashed potato is a good accompaniment, though I think celeriac, parsnip, sweet potato or butternut squash mash would be very good too. If you happen to have a jar of Fortnum & Mason game relish in the fridge (as of course your average student does), it works brilliantly on the side.