Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/Gas 2.
Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish over a moderate heat and add the bacon and cook until just beginning to brown.
Lower the heat and add the onions and cook with the bacon until softened, but not browned, then add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more.
In a large frying pan, brown the venison cubes a few dice at a time so as not to crowd the pan and cause the meat to steam rather than brown. Spoon into the casserole dish.

Add the carrot and celery, bay leaf, thyme, red wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and pared orange zest. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring up to a rolling simmer.

Once the casserole is simmering put it into the preheated oven and cook for two hours

While the casserole is cooking, make the dumplings. Mix the suet, self-raising flour and thyme with 5-6 tablespoons of cold water and mix it until it comes together as a firm-ish dough. Roll the dough into four rounds, cover with clingfilm, and leave to rest until you need them.

Mix the cornflour with a tablespoonful of water to make a loose slurry.

Once the two hours is up, check the venison. If it needs a little more time to get very tender give it another 15 minutes or so and so on. Then remove the casserole from the oven and put it on to a low heat on the hob. Stir the cornflour and water and then add it bit by bit, stirring to mix it well. You may not need all of it to thicken it to the consistency you like. Then stir in the square of dark chocolate until it melts.

Once you have the casserole thickened gently lay the dumplings into the casserole so that they sit just nestled into the mixture. Put the casserole lid back on and simmer gently for another 25 minutes, until the dumplings have puffed up.

Serve in warmed bowls with buttered Savoy cabbage, broccoli or some other greens. You don’t need potatoes or other starches with this as the dumplings do that job, but don’t let me stop you (I’ve certainly done it!)