When I moved to Wicklow sixteen years ago was when I first came across the brace of pheasant. Kind people would give presents throughout late autumn of a cock and hen pheasant tied together at the neck. As a city boy I was completely ignorant as to what to do next. I would hang them up as per instructions, and then, about a week later, surreptitiously throw them away in the bin, just a little bit guiltily.

Since then, several things have become clearer to me. For one, more people like to go shooting than like gutting pheasant. This ensures that pheasant, complete with feathers and entrails, are more often given as presents than prepared for the table. If the recipients don't know what to do with them, then they end up like mine did, all those years ago.

Now this is a shame, since pheasant is one of the great game birds, and if carefully prepared makes a fine winter feast. Overcoming dislike of gutting is not easy and plucking is tedious, especially if game is in abundance, so over the years I have evolved the lazy man's way to prepare pheasant.

Lie the bird on its back and pinch the skin and feathers on the highest part of the breast, lifting as you do so. Now push a sharp knife through the skin and feathers between your fingers and the breast, making a small cut. The skin can now be easily pulled back, feathers and all, exposing the breast. Cut the skin from your starting point down to the end of the feathers on both legs, and pull the skin of them as well. You should by now have exposed the entire breast and both legs, which by my reckoning is 90% of the usable flesh on the bird. Take your knife and cut around the tops of both legs. Push them downwards and outwards and the hip bone should be visible. Cut here, and the legs come off. Run the knife as close to the breast-bone as you can on both sides, and slowly fillet out the breasts. You can now throw away the carcass and the feet.

Doing this means that roast pheasant is no longer a possibility, but it's so simple and quick that it's a small price to pay. Instead, slice the breasts thinly, salt and fry the slices in a little good olive oil and sweet sherry. Let the sherry caramelize on the slices, and the dish is done. The legs must be casseroled; I do them with Dijon mustard.