Hearty Chicken Casserole with Dumplings

Serves 6

3tbsp plain flour
salt and pepper
6 chicken breasts, bone in, each cut into 3 pieces
100ml vegetable oil
4 medium onions, peeled and cut into 8
200g smoked bacon
3 garlic cloves, crushed
300g flat mushrooms, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled, cut into chinks
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
375ml red wine
300ml chicken stock

Dumplings
150g suet and 350g self raising flour

Preheat oven to 200, gas mark 6.
Put the flour in a plastic bag and season.  Drop the chicken into the flour and shake like mad to coat well.
In a large casserole, brown the chicken pieces in the oil over a high heat.  Remove the chicken and reduce the heat.
Add the onions and bacon and cook for 5-8 mins until they are coloured.  Add the garlic, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves and red currant jelly.  Stir thoroughly to mix.
Put the chicken back in and stir to coat.  Pour in the wine and stock.  Cover, bring to the boil, then cook in the oven for 40 mins.
Meanwhile for the dumplings, combine the suet, flour and a big pinch of salt in a bowl.  Gradually stir in 150ml warm water, mixing to give a heavy dough, then roll it into golfball size balls.  Take the casserole from the oven, drop the dumplings into it and return to the oven for a final 20 mins, until the dumplings are cooked.