Instructions: Prepare all the vegetables. Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan on a high heat. Put in the pigeon and brown it all over. Remove it and lower the heat. Mix in the vegetables, cover them and cook them gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, mace and nutmeg and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the stock and bring it to the boil. Replace the pigeon. Add the lemon juice and bouquet garni, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Take out the pigeon. Cut away all the meat and dice it finely. Return it to the soup and reheat if necessary. Ladle the soup into deep bowls or a tureen and scatter the parsley over the top.

Note: you can add the diced vegetables half-way through the cooking time, without pre-softening them, if you prefer them with a firmer texture.

NOTES : This is a main meal soup which makes an economical use of game and winter vegetables.

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