Nigel Barden serves up partridge with oloroso sherry on Radio 2 Drivetime with Simon Mayo.

Oloroso is a variety of fortified wine that is dark and nutty and produced by oxidative ageing.

Unlike the Fino and Amontillado sherries, in Oloroso the flor yeast is suppressed by fortification at an earlier stage. This causes the finished wine to lack the fresh yeasty taste of the fino sherries. Without the layer of flor, the sherry is exposed to air through the slightly porous walls of the American or Canadian oak casks, and undergoes oxidative aging. As the wine ages, it becomes darker and stronger and is often left for many decades.

The ingredients for Nigel’s partridge dish are: 4 partridges, plucked & cleaned, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 6 tbsp olive oil, 1 head garlic, broken into cloves, skin on, 2 medium onions, thinly sliced, 250ml oloroso sherry, sweet or dry, depending on your taste and sea salt & black pepper.

To prepare the dish, put a sprig of thyme in the body cavity of each bird and season all over the outside with salt and pepper.

Place a large saucepan over a high heat, add the olive oil and when it is hot, add the partridges.

Brown well on all sides, then remove the birds, lower the heat to medium and add the garlic cloves.

Fry gently until golden, remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside, then add the onion with a pinch of salt.

Cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until golden and sweet. Return the garlic to the pan, followed by the partridges and oloroso.

Turn the heat to low and simmer gently until tender then add a splash of water if the sauce is too strong and taste for seasoning.