by Ruth Banks

The John Lewis foodhall at Bluewater says customers are taking a
more adventurous approach to Christmas dinner this year.

Many shoppers are ducking out of buying a traditional turkey –
and purchasing birds like duck, goose, partridge and pheasant.

Mark Goldberg, one of the foodhall's meat and fish specialists,
puts it down to celebrity chefs who have been banging the
drum(stick) for alternative birds.

He said: "Because of all the chefs' programmes on telly, people
are looking for something a little bit different. They are trying
to recreate the recipes that are on the TV."

Mark's personal favourite is partridge, but he is also a fan of
pheasant.

He added: "There is a very nice flavour to pheasant. Some people
find it a little bit too rich, but you can add different flavours
to it to sweeten it, like some cranberries or apricots."

Why not try out the recipe below...