1. Season the pigeon breasts with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat a heavy based frying pan until hot. Add the pigeon breasts skin side down and fry for about 1 minute each side. Set aside to rest.
2. For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic (or sherry) vinegar, seasoning and a squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon a little of the dressing onto the resting pigeon breasts and cover them with foil to keep warm.
3. In the same pan, cook the pancetta for a couple of minutes, then crumble in the black pudding. Cook them together for 3 – 4 minutes until crispy. Deglaze the pan with a splash of vinegar and allow to cook out for around a minute. Drain the contents of the pan through a sieve and rest on kitchen paper. Set aside.
4. Place the salad leaves in a large bowl and drizzle over most of the remaining dressing. Add the bacon and black pudding mix (and beetroot, if using) and toss together.

To serve:

Arrange the salad onto serving plates. Slice the pigeon breast into 3 to 5 even pieces, arrange on top of the salad leaves, drizzle the juices from the cooking pan over the pigeon along with a final touch of reserved vinaigrette. Serve with a fresh baguette or ciabatta.