Sear the venison shanks in a hot pan until browned.

Place the meat in the slow cooker with beef stock, carrots, celery, and Worcestershire sauce.

In the same pan, sauté garlic, onion, and tomato paste for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add this mixture into the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 16 hours (overnight works perfectly).

Once cooked, remove shanks and shred the meat, then stir in the passata sauce.

When you’re ready to assemble the lasagna, make the cheese sauce: melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes or until foaming, then add flour and stir for 1 minute until bubbling.

Remove pan from heat and slowly add milk, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

Return to medium heat, cooking for 5 minutes until the sauce boils and thickens.

Stir in 1 cup of grated cheese until smooth, then remove from heat.

Oil the bottom of a lasagna dish and preheat oven to 180°C.

Layer as your heart desires — I tend to do meat and cheese separately: a layer of pasta, then venison; another layer of pasta topped with ricotta and cheese sauce; then pasta, and start all over again.

For the top layer, finish with pasta, spread ricotta and cheese sauce, and add a generous amount of tasty cheese so it goes beautifully golden.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling.

Rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.