Leeds restaurants: How to cook this classic pigeon starter from Pudsey's award-winning 7 Steps

James Turner's classic starter is easy to cook, using ingredients you can pick up from your local butchers and bakery.

7 Steps' Sunday roasts have won the 'Best Sunday Lunch' category at the H&N EAT awards for four years running, and this year James is up for 'Best Chef' in the same competition.

Watch his video tutorial above and follow along at home:

Ingredients (serves four)

4 pigeon breasts

1 small loaf rye bread

1 bunch radish

2 Granny Smith apples

1 punnet cress

300g blanched beetroot

1 banana shallot

200ml vegetable stock

500ml rapeseed oil

50ml white wine vinegar

50ml water

10g sugar

5g salt

1 small celeriac

1tsp mayonnaise

1tsp whole grain mustard

Thyme and rosemary

Salt and pepper to season

Method

Freeze an apple overnight.

Marinade pigeon breasts in 450ml of oil, thyme and rosemary overnight.

Finely slice rye bread, brush with remaining oil and season. Bake at 180C until golden brown and crispy.

Quarter 250g of beetroot, sweat off shallot on a medium heat and add beetroot and vegetable stock. Simmer until beetroot is soft, blend and passé through a fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove skin from celeriac and finely grate/julienne the remaining beetroot, celeriac and apple.

Bind with mayonnaise, whole grain mustard and juices from the beetroot as this helps give it a lovely colour.

Finely slice radishes and split into two piles.

Bring water, vinegar, salt and sugar to the boil and cover one pile of the radishes, then leave to cool.

On a medium-high heat pan sear the pigeon breasts, baste with butter and leave to rest.

On a small plate quenelle the celeriac remoulade off-centre, place rye bread on top and decorate with the beetroot purée, sliced and pickled radishes, cress and pigeon breast. Finley grate frozen apple over the dish and serve.

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