Preheat the oven to 160C /140C fan /Gas 3.

Cut up any larger pieces of game so they are all roughly the same size.

Put the diced game and chopped bacon in a small casserole dish and season with pepper and very lightly with salt: take account of how salty your bacon is and whether your butter is salted or not.

Stir 75ml of the stock into the casserole then add the whole garlic cloves and sprigs of thyme, pushing them under the surface.

Slice the butter and lay it over to completely cover the meat.

Put on a lid (add a layer of foil underneath if the lid isn't tight fitting) and transfer to the oven.

After 45 minutes, stir the contents of the casserole to separate any pieces of meat that have stuck together, then put back in the oven.

Continue to cook until the game is very tender (2 - 3 hrs), stirring occasionally and adding more stock if it seems dry.

When the meat is done, remove the casserole from the oven.

Pick out and discard the thyme sprigs.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Transfer all the contents of the casserole to a processor or blender.

Process, adding as much of the unused stock as you need to create a spreadable consistency: note that once cold the potted game will be much firmer so it's better to have it looser at this stage.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Transfer the potted game to small jars or other containers, cover and leave to cool. Put in the fridge when completely cold.

Tip: If the potted game is too firm to spread when cold, remove from the jars and beat in more stock. Wash, rinse and dry the jars and re-pot.

Optional: add a layer of clarified butter.

Gently melt the butter in a pan. Take off the heat and wait a few minutes for the white milk solids to fall to the bottom. Pour the top, golden layer over the potted game, discarding the white solids.

Chill again to firm the butter.

Use within 4-5 days.