Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.
2. Crush the garlic cloves with the flat of your knife or in a mortar. Rub the bird with one crushed garlic clove, half the thyme, the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Lay the rashers of bacon in a lattice over the breasts of the pheasant. Put the remaining garlic, thyme sprigs and the butter into the cavity.
3. Place the pheasant in a small roasting tin and roast for 10 minutes. Baste with the cooking juices and return it to the oven. Roast for a further 15-20 minutes, basting a couple of times.
4. Meanwhile, pull the grapes off their stalks, rinse, then pierce them a couple of times with the tip of a sharp knife. Transfer to a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and honey, sprinkle over the picked thyme leaves and a pinch of salt. Shake the tray gently to combine.
5. Remove and discard the outer leaves of the cabbage, then cut in half. Separate the leaves and trim off the hard centre stalks; roughly chop.
6. To check the pheasant is cooked, pierce with a skewer – the juices should run clear and there should be no pink meat. Take out of the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest.
7. While the pheasant is resting, roast the grapes in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until blistered and soft. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the cabbage in the water for 3 minutes until tender. Drain, add the butter, grapes and their cooking juices and season with salt; toss together.
8. Take the pheasant to the table whole, smothered in its juices; serve with the cabbage and grapes.