FLOWER POT KITCHEN: MINI PIES WHICH MEANS MORE PASTRY AND MORE PIES

4 Feb 2013

MINI PIES WHICH MEANS MORE PASTRY AND MORE PIES

PIE IS LOVE PIE IS LAW PIE IS EVERYTHING

Wahoo what better than a pie, than to make 12 mini pies in a muffin tin so that you get lots more pies on your plate for your dinner. This is my usual left over roast chicken dinner pie.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PASTRY

450g plain flour

1 tsp salt

100g lard cubed cold

110g butter cubed cold

180ml ice cold water

Quick and simple to make just place all the ingredients in a large bowl or mixer except the water and mix for a minute or so, you want to keep the lard lumpy as this will give you a flakier pastry. Add the water and bring together as a ball, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 mins before use.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PIE FILLING

If you don't have any left over roast chicken and gravy, no worries, just roast off a couple of thighs and legs in a pan with an onion, garlic, bay, carrot and stick of celery, seasoning and some stock, water or white wine, which while cooking will make the gravy. Remove the meat and strain the gravy and then add some mixed butter and flour (50/50) to thicken the gravy if needed and season with salt and pepper and possible a dash of double cream for some extra velvet richness.

400g approx of cooked chicken

Stock gravy from the roast or cooking approx 500ml

Any extra cooking stock is great as gravy for on top of the pie

Salt and pepper

Roll out your pastry and fill your mini muffin or Victoria sponge tin with the pastry base's I like to pop the tray back in the fridge for 30 minutes while I roll out and cut out the lids, make the egg wash and assemble the pie filling, then take the muffin tin and fill your pie cases, egg wash the rim and place on your pie lid, egg wash the top and bake for approx 20 minutes for the mini pies until crisp and golden and yummy.

ACCOMPANIMENTS FOR THE PIE

This is a very personal and for me depends on what mood I am in, sometimes I want double carbs and really love creamy buttery mashed potato with extra gravy and another time I love lots of fresh cabbage and greens, and sometimes just the pie will do.

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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.