Guinea fowl salad with cumin cabbage and mustard dressing

Guinea fowl is a tasty alternative to chicken, and although most of them tend to be French, there are a handful of UK producers rearing great birds, such as the Ark Chicken Company in Devon (arkchicken.co.uk; 01392 860430).

2 oven-ready guinea fowl
Vegetable or corn oil for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A handful of salad and herb leaves, washed

For the spiced cabbage
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2tsp cumin seeds
1tsp ground cumin
Half a small white cabbage
1tbsp white wine vinegar
250ml chicken stock

For the mustard dressing

1tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
1tsp Dijon mustard
1tbsp grain mustard
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp vegetable or corn oil

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. First make the cabbage. Cook the onion and cumin in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes on a low heat, stirring every so often, until softened. Add the cabbage, season and continue cooking and stirring for another 3-4 minutes.

Add the vinegar and stock and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage still has a bit of a crunch. Remove from heat; leave to cool.

Meanwhile, place the guinea fowl in a roasting tray, season and brush with oil and roast for about 45 minutes, basting the breasts every so often, keeping the bird pink.

Remove the legs from the guinea fowl and cut away the meat into bite-sized pieces. Remove the breasts with a knife; cut in half on the angle.

To serve, whisk the ingredients together for the dressing, spoon the cabbage into serving bowls and scatter the leaves and leg meat around. Arrange the breast on the cabbage and spoon over the dressing.