Calderdale Rabbit Shepherd’s Pie with young carrots & peas from The Shibden Mill Inn

Start by melting the butter in a heavy based pan or casserole dish, add the rapeseed oil then add the 4 legs and brown. After 2/3 minutes of sautéing the legs, set aside leaving the pan on the heat, add the diced vegetables & garlic and colour. After another 2/3 minutes place the legs back into the pan and add the vinegar, reduce by half then add the wine and reduce that by half. Then add all the chicken stock and tomatoes, thyme, garlic & bay leaf, bring to the boil then simmer of 2 hours till the leg meat is cooked and falls of the bone. Preheat the oven on gas mark 4 about 175ºC. Lift the rabbit out the pan being careful to keep the leg meat whole and set aside. Now reduce the sauce left in the pan with the vegetables and herbs. Pass the sauce off after 5 minutes or so. Keeping the vegetables, pull the meat off the bones, careful to get all the bone out of the meat and place into a clean casserole dish along with the vegetables. Cover with the strained sauce and place in the fridge for 1 hour until the sauce sets, making it easier to cover with mash. Add the peas and chopped herbs and cover with mash potato using the back of a knife. Brush with a little butter & bake for 40 minutes until a golden colour on top.