FLOWER POT KITCHEN: FRESH CRANBERRY TOPPED PORK PIE

29 Dec 2011

FRESH CRANBERRY TOPPED PORK PIE

PERFECT FOR A BIT OF COLD ON BOXING DAY

(Serves 4-8)

HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY

100g lard

100g butter

550g plain flour

200ml water

2 beaten eggs

Large pinch of salt

Melt the butter and lard in the water and bring up to a rolling simmer, cut the beaten eggs into the seasoned flour and pour in the lard mix bring together and knead till shinny. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour if you want to roll out the pastry to line your tin or if you are using the traditional hand raising method then use the hot crust immediately and push the pastry into the tin or round a dolly mould. Keep back 1/4 of the pastry for the lid.

PORK PIE MIX

300g diced pork shoulder

100g minced belly pork

100g sweetcure bacon

2 sage leaves

1 sprig thyme

1 pinch mace

1 pinch cayenne

Salt, white & black pepper

Make a firm ball of the pork pie filling and firmly throw down into the pastry case, don't over fill as you will want space to push the lid down to create a shelf for the cranberries to sit on one the pie has cooked.

Egg was the top and bake for approx 1 hour, then leave to cool for 15 minutes and remove the pie from the tin, egg wash the sides and pop back in to the oven for another 15 minutes to set the glaze, leave to cool while you make the cranberry topping.

CRANBERRY TOPPING

In a pan add the cranberries and 1 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of sugar and bring just to a simmer for a couple of minutes keeping the cranberries whole, once cooled top your pie.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.