Nice as pie

It’s hard to beat this Great British staple, but will you go straight for a comforting classic, or try a dairy-free twist? You’re on to a winner either way...

Pastry perfection

Make sure the filling is quite cool before you top with the pastry and when it goes into the hot oven, this will give you the best rise.

Beef and ale pie

A rich, glossy, homely pie, where the ale gives a delicious roundness to the sauce.

Serves 4–6 | Ready in 2½ hours

Faff factor | d |

• 30g plain flour

• 800g Just Essentials Beef Braising Steak (we used 2 x 400g packs), cut into large 4cm cubes

• 25g unsalted butter

• 2tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 large onions, finely sliced

• 2 large carrots, chopped into large chunks

• 250g pack chestnut mushrooms, halved

• 2tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

• 2tbsp tomato purée

• 2tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for garnish

• 500ml dark ale (we used Bishops Finger)

• 300ml beef stock

• 375g pack ready-rolled puff pastry

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Place season with salt and ground black pepper, then add the cubes of meat and toss well until evenly coated

2 Heat heavy-based casserole dish until the butter has melted and is foaming. Add the meat to the pan in small batches and brown all over for a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside; repeat with the remaining meat

3 Add pan and fry gently for about 2 mins, then add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes more

4 Return the pan along with any excess flour left in the bowl, the Worcestershire sauce, tomato pur thyme, ale, stock and season with salt and ground black pepper. Stir well and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 2 hrs, stirring occasionally, on the hob until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and place into a 1.5 litre deep rectangular pie dish and leave to cool completely

5 Once the filling is cool, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°fan/gas 6. Unroll the puff pastry and cut a 2cm strip from the long edges. Wet the rim of the pie dish with a little water and place the pastry strips around the rim pressing it down. This creates an extra layer of pastry around the edge to keep the pastry in place and prevent it from falling into the dish.

6 Use a knife to cut diagonal slices in the surface pastry but only very lightly and not all the way through. You just

Ham, leek and cider pie

Use leftover gammon for this hearty, warming pie with a creamy sauce.

Serves 6 | Ready in 1hr, plus cooling

Faff factor | d |

• 2tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 large leeks, trimmed, roughly chopped

• 750g unsmoked gammon joint, cut into 2.5cm cubes

• 2 carrots, peeled, roughly chopped

• 3 celery sticks, finely sliced

• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped

• 2tbsp plain flour

• 400ml dry cider

• 3tbsp crème fraîche

• 1tbsp wholegrain mustard

• 375g pack ready-rolled shortcrust pastry

• 1 egg, beaten, for glazing

1 Heat the oil in a large heavy-based casserole dish with a lid over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook gently for about 5 mins until softened. Add the gammon, carrot, celery and potato and mix with the leeks. Stir in the flour and increase the heat, then add the cider and bring to the boil. Reduce temperature to a gentle simmer. Stir in the crème fraîche and mustard. Season with ground black pepper – note, it will be salty enough from the gammon. Cover the dish and simmer over a gentle heat for 35 mins. Stir occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the ham tender. Remove from the heat; leave to cool completely. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Unroll the pastry carefully. Spoon the cooled mixture into a 21cm round pie dish and place the pastry over the top. Trim off the excess pastry and crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork.

Brush the pastry with the egg. Re-roll the excess pastry and cut out leaves to decorate. Brush with beaten egg too.

Bake for 25–30 mins until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Cool for 5 mins before cutting and serving.

Vegan samosa pie

Elevate this bite-size starter into a moreish main course.

• 600g potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edwards, peeled and cut into 1.5cm pieces

• 4tbsp olive oil

• ½tsp cumin seeds

• ½tsp black onion seeds

• 1tsp garam masala

• 1 green chilli, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, chopped

• ½ lemon, juiced

• 30g bag fresh coriander, chopped

• 250g frozen spinach, defrosted

• 75g cashew nuts

• 1tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

• 200g pack filo pastry

Keep it cool

Whip up a homemade vegan-friendly raita with coconut yoghurt, chopped mint, diced cucumber and lemon juice.

1 Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 12 mins until tender but holding their shape. Drain.

2 Heat 2tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Gently heat the cumin and half the onion seeds until they pop. Stir in the garam masala. Add the potatoes and cook gently in the spices and oil until coated in the mix and browning nicely.

3 Mix in the chilli and garlic and cook for 1 min. Stir in the spring onions, lemon juice, coriander and spinach. Allow to cool.

4 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. Place the nuts in a food processor and blitz. Add a pinch of salt, 4tbsp water and the nutritional yeast. Blitz again until smooth. Spoon onto potatoes. Mix well.

5 Unroll the filo pastry and brush the top with a little oil and lay a sheet in the bottom of a 21cm pie dish. Allow excess to overhang the tin. Top with another sheet and brush with a little oil. Repeat with another layer. Spoon in the filling and fold in the overhanging pastry.

6 Brush four more sheets of pastry lightly with oil and scrunch up and place over the top of the pie filling. Sprinkle with the remaining onions seeds and bake for 20 mins until golden and crispy. Serve cut into wedges.

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