CHICKEN SATAY BEST EVER

I can stop eating this!  Outrageously awesome creamy peanut butter, coconut cream, soy, tamarind satay sauce, I need to calm down it’s just a recipe!  Drenched over chicken tenders marinated in fresh turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, shallots, ground cumin and coriander seeds, chilli flakes and nut oil gives this chicken satay multiple levels of flavour, combine that with charred flavour from cooking on a cast iron skillet this is a winner dinner.  Serve this family style piled high with a stack of flatbreads and a garlic chilli lime coriander rice.

There seems a lot of ingredients don’t be put off, most of the ingredients double up so it’s a one time preparation then divide and conquer!  I make my own flatbreads but store brought will cut the cooking time, My family like their food hot and spicy, lower or leave out the chilli for a equally gorgeous chicken satay.

Marinating time 30 mins - 24hrs / Cooking time 25 minutes

Ingredients 

(serves 4-6)

Marinade

6 chicken breasts

1 small shallot finely diced

1 clove garlic finely grated

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp fresh grated turmeric root

1/2 stick lemongrass chopped

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tbsp dried chilli flakes

50ml ground nut oil

12 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

Satay Sauce

1/2 small shallot finely diced

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp grated ginger

1 grated garlic clove

1 tbsp tamarind paste

4 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp soy sauce

200ml coconut cream

1 pinch Himalayan sea salt 

This is a recipe that works brilliantly if you prepare all the ingredients first.  If you can, marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours or more ahead of time, but 30 minutes will do, this I find easy as I prep while cooking the evening before’ she dinner, so I know the next nights family dinner is already done!  

For the marinade mix the shallot, ginger, garlic, turmeric, lemongrass, ground cumin and coriander seeds, salt, black pepper, fish sauce and chilli flakes with the oil, massage over the chicken and leave to marinate over night.  Thread on to bamboo skewers and drizzle with more ground nut oil.  Heat a cast iron skillet hot and place the chicken skewers on to the skillet to sear and charr for around three minutes each side, remove and place on a platter piled high ready to serve family style.

Meanwhile make the satay sauce, heat a skillet pan with a dash of oil, add the shallots, garlic and ginger and gently soften for a couple of minutes, take off the heat or the coconut and peanut butter sauce when added may split, mix the coconut milk, tamarind, soy and peanut butter well to combine, add to the pan and stir well, taste your sauce and assess if your sauce needs a hint of salt and lime juice, this is personal to your own taste buds, I only needed a hint of salt, but felt that lime would have also been great.  Serve in a large or several small bowls around the family table and enjoy.

Garlic Chilli Lime Coriander Rice

2 cups rinsed rice

4 cups cold water

1 lime zested and juiced

4 cloves garlic sliced

1 fresh diced jalapeno chilli

Small bunch chopped coriander

1 tbsp olive oil

1 knob butter (twice)

Place the 2 cups rinsed rice in 4 cups of water, bring to a medium simmer with the lid on, do not stir at any point, cook for six minutes, DO NOT REMOVE THE LID AT ANY POINT, take off the heat quickly add the lime juice, zest and knob of butter and fork through, place the lid back on and leave to steam off the heat on the side for five minutes to finish cooking, meanwhile place the garlic in a pan and add a drizzle of olive oil and tbsp butter, pan roast the garlic until nutty brown, stir in to the rice and serve.

Flat Breads 

Make Ahead Dough 1-48 hrs in Advance

Proven in the Fridge

500g 00 flour (blue caputo)

15g yeast (optional)

10g Himalayan sea salt 

50g olive oil}

320g water

Flatbreads

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and either by hand or by machine with a dough hook mix for seven minutes, then dust a little flour over the dough mix and gently form into a ball, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a warm area to prove for 1-2 hours until doubled in size if you want to use immediately, then other options are leave to prove slowly in the fridge for 24hrs, this is what I do as it gives me much more control over time and usage, this will keep for another 24hrs in the fridge ready to go when you are, you can also freeze any left over dough at this stage, then when ready to use remove from the freezer defrost and once up to room temperature use as you would fresh.

 Take a oversized golf ball almost a tennis ball piece of dough, dust your work top with a little OO flour, roll out a large disk no bigger than your skillet but to the thinness of a pound coin, heat your skillet to a hot heat, place the flat bread in the pan and cook for one and a half minutes on each side, keep warm by wrapping in a tea towel until serving, these flatbreads are best served warm but are almost as good used later the next day, to use the following day dip the flat breads in water and pop in a pre heated oven for 3-5 minutes and Ta-Da almost as good as fresh.

SINGAPORE NOODLES

Wonderful spicy and fragrant singapore noodle stir fry with shaoxing, soy marinated chicken, prawns, ham, peppers, beansprouts, bamboo, baby corns, water chestnuts, peas, ginger, garlic and chilli all tossed in a spicy madras curry spice and soy dressing, finished off with spring onions and coriander.

The key to success here is to prepare all the ingredients ready to go, this is a speedy cook and from start to finish should only take you around 5 minutes to cook.

Prep time 7-10 minutes / Cooking time 5 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 2)

1 pack of vermicilli rice noodles

(I substitute with konjac noodles)

2 tbsp coconut or ground nut oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

2” ginger sliced in to matchsticks

1 red pepper large dice

1 green pepper large dice

100g bean sprouts

2 spring onions sliced into thin sticks

2 red chillies sliced

1 400g tin of bamboo, chestnut and baby corn

1 tbsp madras curry powder

1 small bunch chopped coriander

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp shaoxing wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 chicken breasts small diced

300g cooked prawns

2 slices of ham shredded

1 cup of cooked peas

First cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, but generally you place the noodles in a bowl, pour over boiling water and leave to soak for two minutes, drain in a seive and run under cold water for just a split second, toss in the sesame oil and reserve to one side.

Place the chicken in a bowl add the shaoxing wine and 1 tbsp of the soy sauce and stir to coat the chicken, then line up all your prepared vegetables ready to go!  Have your serving bowls and chopsticks ready to serve straight in too.

Heat your wok fairly hot and add the oil, stir fry the onion, garlic and ginger for one minute, next add the peppers and stir fry for one minute, add the chicken and stir fry for 3 minutes, next add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry for a couple of minutes add the noodles and toss through, serve and sprinkle over the spring onion and coriander. 

PIZZA PEPPERONI CHICKEN

Keto Cooking

A almost zero carb dinner, juicy smashed chicken seared in butter then loaded with a tomato and oregano sauce, my gooey melting cheese mix of equal Monterey Jack and mild cheddar with a third mix of Red Leicester cheese, fresh pepperoni and jalapeños then melted under the grill and finished off with fresh basil.

Ingredients 

(serves 4)

Toppings

4 chicken breasts

50g butter

50ml olive oil

200g grated Monterey Jack cheese

200g grated mild cheddar cheese

150g grated Red Leicester cheese

200g fresh deli pepperoni 

2 fresh jalapeños sliced 

Fresh basil leaves

Tomato Pizza Sauce

50ml olive oil

1 can mutti Italian tomatoes

1 small onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic finely diced

1 pinch dried oregano

Sea salt and black pepper

First the sauce, heat the olive oil, soften the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and gently simmer, add the oregano and season with salt and pepper and leave to tick over on a low heat while you next bash the chicken thin in a food bag with a rolling pin, equally all over.  Heat a skillet medium hot, add the butter and olive oil then sear the chicken breast for a couple of minutes each side, remove and place on a baking tray.  Pre heat your grill.

Smother the chicken with the tomato sauce, layer on the cheese and top with the pepperoni and jalapeño’s, place under the hot grill until the cheese is all gooey and melted, remove and serve with fresh torn basil leaves.

MARRIAGE PROPOSAL PIE WEEK

BRITISH PIE WEEK 2022
STEAK AND GUINNESS SLOW BRAISED PIE FILLING WITH THE MOST OUTSTANDING MARRIAGE PROPOSAL AWARD WINNING  SUET CRUST PASTRY

Happy Pie week 2022, this recipe is very dear to me, firstly it is my most top favorite dinner that my Nan used to make for me, since I was a toddler, the memories start with the original recipe comes from my Nan, and Nan got it from her mum, it is one of those wonderful recipes of history, I do not know if my Great Granny Rebbeca got this recipe from her mum but I do know my Nan was a great cook who moved with the times hence the curry powder, I won't tell you about Nan's experimental Malibu roast chicken though!

Nan did not make this as a pie, we had this a braised dish with the most creamy mashed potato that Nan always put a hint of vinegar in.  The very special part of this dinner was my Nan's brown 1950's tea mug that she filled with extra braised gravy stock for me to drink with my meal, I always eat this meal with a spoon, this is so I can get the maximum amount in my mouth each time!  Wonderful memories every mouthful :-)

The next is memories of growing up in a rural 12th century village pub which my parents served outstanding honest food, this was my parents top selling dish as a pie or pudding and it is still my mums number one dinner!  

The most recent reason (1991), is when I was 18yrs old I made this dish for my now husband of 31 years as this pie, this was a deal sealer and resulted in a proposal of marriage, 31 yrs later this is still my husbands and our families favourite dinner, with or without the unbelivevable suet pastry.

CHRISTMAS 2021

WOW my husband got this original vintage 1970’s mug, just like the one my nan served my extra braised gravy in for me for Christmas, so romantic he knows exactly how to make me smile ❤️

INGREDIENTS

I always make extra for leftovers and if your are putting the time in to slow cook make extra as this is not only time efficient but also cost effective.

(makes 6 portions)

1 kg chuck/braising steak 2" square chunks

700g trimmed weight lambs kidney rough chopped (optional)

2 onions finely chopped

2 sticks celery fine chopped

2 carrots finely chopped

1 glug of ooil

knob of butter

500g rich beef stock

4 cans of Guinness 

1 tsp salt and black pepper

2 tbsp mustard powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp curry powder

4 bay leaves

2 tbsp ground black pepper

FOR THE BEST EVER SUET CRUST PASTRY

(This makes 2 pie top crusts or one full pie)

330g supreme self raising flour

100g cold butter grated

130g atora suet

Water as needed (150ml+)

1 tsp salt and white pepper 

Make the pastry first so that it can rest in the fridge.  Place all the ingredients except the water in a large bowl and very gently mix, you do not want to over work the mix as this will make it rubbery, and this pastry is the best ever because it is light and crispy with a flakey texture finished off with a hint of almost dumpling texture underneath, that soaks up the gorgeous braise stake gravy.  Add the water a glug at a time probably 150ml ish and just crush the pastry mix together, wrap in paper and plonk in the fridge until needed.  

FOR THE PIE / BRAISED STEAK FILLING

Heat a deep casserole dish on the stove and melt the butter and ooil, gently fry the onion, celery and carrot until soft, add the diced beef and brown all over.  Add the stock and Guinness to the pan and bring to a gently simmer, add the kidneys and stir in well, then add all the seasoning from the mustard powder to the black pepper.

Bring back up to a gently simmer and pop a lid on, keep the heat ticking over for around 3-4 hrs until the beef falls apart when you touch it.  Lesson learned you can not rush this recipe in a pressure cooker!!!

Roll out your pastry for the lid, fill your pie baking dish with the gorgeous braised steak Guinness pie filling, egg wash the edge of the pie dish, pop on the suet pie crust lid, crimp the sides and egg wash the top, I always love to decorate the top of my pies with a hint of personality, bake in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and hopefully when cooked some of the juices will have oozed out over the pastry and created a extra layer of flavour on the crust. 

CORNISH PASTY

Traditional Cornish pasty, I was lucky enough to have a pasty cooking lesson in Cornwall and was given the old fashioned traditional recipe for the filling and pastry, this Cornish pasty is a winner with all my friends and family, light flakey melt in the mouth pastry with succulent juicy tender filling.  It is a unwritten law that you never put carrot in your pasty, it will have the Cornish up in arms!  In order for a Cornish pasty to qualify to be called a Cornish under the DOP law all pasty ingredients must all be sourced from and the pasty made Cornwall, this is true for this pasty, Cornish skirt steak, onion, potato and turnip (this is actually swede) not unlike the Cornish for white broccoli which is actually cauliflower.  Now saying that I accidentally did add carrot to my mix 😱🙈😱 it had been a while since making this and I confused the carrot thought with add it not DON’T add it.

A true Cornish pasty can be driven 100 miles, the whole length of the road A30 from Falmouth to Exeter and still be warm ready to eat and originally two thirds of the pasty would be traditional meat and vegetables with the remaining third filled with a sweet pudding a complete meal for the miners.

Super Easy / Prep time 15 minutes / Cooking time 40 minutes

Ingredients

(Makes 6)

The Pastry

900g plain flour

220g lard diced

200g butter diced

320 ml cold water
10g sea salt

1 beaten egg for glazing

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together for around one minute until just coming together to form a ball, don’t over work the pastry.  Turn out onto your work surface and just gently press together, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge while you make the filling.

The Filling

1.5 kg skirt steak finely diced

3 large potatoes peeled and finely diced

1/2 swede peeled and finely diced

1 Spanish onion finely chopped

Sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper 

Mix all the filling ingredients together and season generously with sea salt and black pepper.  Divide your pastry in to 6 equal portions and form in to balls, press the balls down flat then roll out to a large circle to the thickness of a pound coin.  Paint half of the edge with the egg wash.

Eyeball the mix into 6 portions, I do this by spooning out equally on to each pastry one spoon each at a time, place the filling just off centre and leave a good one inch rim around the edge, fold the pastry over the filling and gently press the edges together.

The Crimp

This is not essential you can crimp the edge seals with a fork or a pinch, but I like to be traditional and give my pasties their crimp.  To do this lift the sealed rim at one end then using your forefinger and thumbs, with your right hand bend the pastry over your left forefinger, remove your left finger and press the pastry to your left thumb, repeat all along the pasty.

Place the pasties on a baking tray, I prefer a stone baking tray for a crispy bottom!  Egg wash all over and bake in the oven for 34-40 minutes until golden all over and a crispy bottom, leave to cool for 10 minutes then enjoy.

Juicy tender and full of flavour with a glorious flakey melt in the mouth light flakey pastry.

ROASTED PARTRIDGE WITH A RED CURRENT JUNIPER STOCK JUS

Cast Iron Cooking

Not only is this a juicy succulent full of flavour bird, the carcass makes the most amazing deep flavoured stock sauce.  Pan roasted in a cast iron skillet and basted in butter this is a simple quick cook that delivers a little wow factor at the dinner table.

Ingredients

(serves 2)

2 partridges (local farm butchers)

50g butter

1 glug olive oil

1 large carrot diced

1 small onion diced

1 cloves garlic diced

1 rib of celery diced

1 bay leaf

1 fresh sage leaf

2 juniper berries

2 whole black peppercorns

1 pinch black pepper

1 pinch sea salt

150ml red wine 

200ml water

1 tbsp red current jelly

First take the breasts and legs off the carcass keeping the skin on, this will protect the delicate meat during cooking, next get the stock going, in a cast iron skillet sear the carcass all over in a little butter and olive oil turn the heat down a little, add the mirepoix of carrot, onion, garlic, celery and bay leaf soften for 10 minutes, add the water, juniper and whole black peppercorns and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, strain the liquid through a sieve and return to the pan on a low heat.  In a separate pan reduce the wine by half and then add to the stock sauce along with the red current jelly, season to taste with salt and pepper and a a large knob of butter, keep warm while you cook the partridge.

Heat a skillet medium hot add the butter, olive oil and the partridge legs skin side down, add the breasts one minute later, sear for a couple of minutes on each side then turn the heat down low to finish, add the sage leaf and cookfor a a further couple of minutes turning over once more, continuously spooning the butter over the partridges, remove from the pan and leave to rest for 3-5 minutes.  Serve the partridges with buttery creamy mashed potatoes (recipe below) and you gorgeous stock jus.

Serve with This Glorious Buttery Creamy Mashed Potato

1 kg peeled halved potatoes

250g butter (YES!)

100ml double cream

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Sea salt and white pepper

Simple method to ensure the best fluffy mashed potatoes, rinse the potatoes and then place in a large pan with cold water and a good pinch of salt, bring to a rolling simmer and cook until fork tender, the reason to boil potatoes from cold is to ensure the potatoes cook all the way through evenly, if you add potatoes to boiling water the outside cooks quicker than the centre which can lead to soft wet mashed potatoes!  Drain and leave the potatoes to steam dry in the colander for a few minutes, meanwhile place the saucepan back on the lowest heat, add the butter and cream to slowly warm up, add back the potatoes along with the vinegar salt and pepper, mash to your choice of consistency, I’m super smooth but my husband likes lumpy!

CAST IORN SKILLET ROAST CHICKEN WITH THE BEST EVER GARLIC CROUTONS

This simple old French Classic is such a outstandingly great dish, succulent lightly garlic infused roast chicken with a gorgeous white wine and herb infused stock gravy and the wow factor is the toasted sour dough slices that you squeeze out the whole roasted garlic cloves purée paste on the toasted bread then dip this giant creamy garlic crouton in to that gorgeous white wine roasted chicken stock, unbelievably off the chart !  The home smells divine and everyone’s eagerly awaiting dinner.  

Prep time 10 minutes / Cooking time 2kg Chicken 1hr 20mins 

Resting time 20-30 minutes 

Ingredients 

2 kg plus high welfare chicken

2 glugs of olive oil

1 large onion quartered

1 carrot rough chopped

1 bulb garlic halved

10 garlic cloves in their skin

1 leek roughly chopped

3 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

1 sprig tarragon (optional)

2 tbsp parsley stalks chopped

25g butter twice

10 whole peppercorns

1 lrg pinch Himalayan sea salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

200ml dry white wine

200ml water

1 sourdough loaf sliced

I find cooking this in a cast iron Dutch oven, skillet or chicken brick guarantees the most succulent juicy roast chicken every time.  Pre-heat your oven to 180 F / 356 F.  

Place the onion, garlic, carrot, leek, thyme, bay, peppercorns, tarragon, parsley stalks and butter in the pan, rub the chicken all over with the olive oil, salt and ground black pepper, place on top of the vegetables, pour in the wine and water, pop on the lid to your dutch oven (for 30 minutes ONLY) and place in the oven to roast for 50 minutes to 1hr 10 minutes (make sure to remove the lid after 30 minutes of roasting to brown off and crisp the skin) until pierced juices run clear from the thigh or if using a probe the thickest part of the breast reaches 74C / 165 F.  This is how I cook my juiciest succulent chickens then rest for 15 minutes relaxing the chicken which allows all the juices to evenly distribute back in to the meat, also the resting juices are infusing into the glorious stock gravy.  To make the gravy and croutons…

Garlic Croutons 

Slice your sour dough bread thin, drizzle with a hint of olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes turning over half way through while the chicken is resting.

Remove the 10 individual garlic cloves and squeeze out the garlic purée on to the croutons.  These are just divine, gorgeous and decadent croutons dipped in the rich stock gravy.

The Roast Dinner White Wine Stock Garlic Gravy

Simply remove some of the tarragon, thyme and bay leaf, squeeze all the soft garlic out of their skins in to the stock, then blitz the cooking stock and vegetables until smooth, pass through a sieve and return the gravy to the pan on a medium heat to keep warm, stir in a knob of butter and season to taste.  Serve over your roast chicken.

FISH PIE WITH SCALLOPS PRAWNS SMOKED HADDOCK AND TOPPED WITH LOBSTER MASH

Sumptuous rich creamy velvety comforting fish pie a true hug on a spoon, my family loves to eat food that makes you feel sheer joy with every spoonful, needless to say it’s awfully quite round the diner table when I serve this diner up.  Rich infused creamy haddock cheese bechamel layered with haddock, prawns and scallops, topped with a sumptuous buttery creamy lobster mash, what’s not to love!

Ingredients 

1 lobster cooked and out of the shell

1 kg natural smoked haddock

12 large raw tiger prawns

6 scallops cleaned roe removed

50g butter

50ml olive oil

300g mature cheddar grated

50g Guyere grated

50g Emmental grated

1 kg potatoes peeled and cut in half

250g butter

100ml double cream

Sea salt and white pepper

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

100g finely grated Parmesan cheese

The Roux Bechamel

50g butter

1 heaped tbsp flour

1.5 ltr gold top Jersey full fat milk

150ml double cream

First place the potatoes in a deep pan of cold water with a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and simmer for around 20 minutes until fork tender, drain and leave to steam dry in the colander on the side for 10 minutes, place the butter in the saucepan you boiled the potatoes in and place back on a very low heat until the butter has half melted, add the potatoes, double cream, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper and mash well and fold through the chopped chunky lobster and Parmesan cheese.

Place 500ml of milk and 300ml of water to a almost simmer, place the haddock skin side down in the milk and the whole prawns and leave to cook gently for around 5 minutes, remove once cooked and leave to cool then with the haddock peel the skin off and flake in to large chunks removing any bones and take the shells off the prawns, reserve the fish to one side.  Strain the poaching liquid and keep to one side for the roux sauce.

Next cook the scallops, heat a cast iron skillet medium hot, add the olive oil and butter, once foaming place the scallops in and sear each side for around 1 minute only on each side only Turing once, spoon the oil and butter over the scallops while cooking, remove and reserve to one side.

Next make the roux, melt the butter gently, add the flour and whisk smooth, cook on a low heat for 3 minutes then start to add the reserved poaching milk 200ml at a time then the gold top milk whisking each time to a smooth consistency, once you have a nice medium thick sauce stop adding the milk, add the double cream and cook the sauce on a low heat stirring almost constantly for 20 minutes then add the cheeses and stir until melted and smooth, season to taste.

Now to assemble the pie, place a couple of ladels of the bechamel sauce  in the bottom of your pie tin, then layer in half of the haddock, prawns and scallops, add a thin layer of the mashed potatoes then another couple of ladels of the bechamel sauce, repeat with the fish, more bechamel and then top the pie with the lobster Parmesan mash, a further dusting of Parmesan is optional here.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until piping hot in the centre and enjoy this gorgeous comforting spoon food.

BOXING DAY COLD CUTS PICKLES BEETS AND MUSTARD PICCALILLI

After the big day Boxing Day is a go slow day with lots of wonderful leftovers, cold cuts of meat, dill pickles and homemade chutneys, I go one step further and on Christmas Eve Eve I make my French game raised pie which we look forward to having with our cold cuts on Boxing Day.

Pork pies work just as well for these cold cut platters too, along with leftover, hams, turkey, roast beef, chipolata wrapped in bacon,  beets, dill pickles and chutney’s.

OH LA LA THE RAISED GAME PIE

Pie filling

6 pigeon breasts

6 pheasant breasts

400g venison loin

1 whole rabbit or partridge

2 shallots fine diced

1 knob of butter

6 sage leaves
 Small bunch of thyme
Small bunch of parsley

Good pinch of salt & black pepper

Good pinch of mace

Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pre heat oven 200 degrees

Dice all the game into inch square pieces and place in a large bowl add the softened shallots, chopped sage, thyme and parsley along with a generous pinch of sea salt, ground black pepper and mace, mix well.  

Hot water crust

100g lard

100g butter

200ml water

550g plain flour

Big pinch of salt
2 eggs beaten

Melt the butter and lard in the water and bring up to a simmer, don't let it boil.  In a large bowl whisk, or sieve the flour and add the salt, make a dip in the centre and add the beaten eggs, using a knife cut the eggs into the flour roughly, add the hot water butter lard mix and gently bring together, knead for one minute to bring to a shinny glossy dough ball, wrap in paper and chill for thirty minutes if you are going to roll out the pastry to line the tin, if you are going to use the old fashioned method of hand raising the pastry use immediately, directions below.

Grease your french pie tin or tin you are using with lard or butter then either roll out your pastry to about the thickness of two pound coins and lay into the the tin and push the pastry into all the folds of the mould, or you can form a ball, keep back 1/4 for the lid, then with the just made hot water crust, place in the centre of the tin and then push the pastry flat on the bottom which will make the pastry rise up, push this into the sides the mould

Chicken Liver Pate

200g chicken livers

1 shallot diced
1 clove of garlic grated

1 tbsp butter

1 sprig thyme

50ml brandy

50ml double cream
1 small pinch mace

Sea salt and black pepper

Next make the liver pate by gently sweat off the shallot and garlic in the butter and add the cleaned chicken livers and brown off on a high heat for two minutes, add the brandy and reduce down by half, lower the heat and season with the salt, pepper, mace add the thyme.  Cool slightly and place all the  ingredients in the blender and pulse, add the double cream until you have a smooth pate, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.  For Christmas I add a grating of clementine zest.

Pack the game mix firmly in to half of your pie case, place a generous layer of your chicken liver pate and then finish filling the pie case with the rest of the mixed game, with a little egg wash brush the top and place on the lid, crimp the top by placing your left hand or right hand thumb and first finger at the edge of the pastry and using your other hand first finger push the pastry into the other fingers creating a crimp, repeat all the way round.  I like to decorate my pie with some leaves on top and the centre of the pie lid make a hole the size of a pea, this will be for the jelly one the pie has cooked and cooled.  Glaze with egg wash and cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees then lower the oven temperature to 150 degrees and cover the top of the pie with foil, cook for another hour and a half.

Now for the reason your pie tin comes in three sections!  Place the pie tin on a flat baking tray and gently remove the clips that hold the tin together and remove the sides of the pie tin, I always find this part nerve wrecking as you don't want the sides of the pie to split or all the lovely juices will run out and compromise the quality of the pie.  Egg wash the sides and pop back into the oven for fifteen minutes to set the glaze and brown the sides, remove from the oven and leave to cool and then place in the fridge, you will need the pie completely cold when you add the jelly, I often jelly the pie the next day, but you can do it on the same day if you make the pie early enough.

The Jelly

1 partridge carcass’s 

2 pigs trotters optional

sea salt

black pepper

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of thyme

To make the jelly you can do this two ways, I like to simmer the partridge carcass with onion, carrot, celery, bay and thyme you can also add 2 pig trotters from your local farm shop or butcher along with 500ml of water with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper,  simmer on a low heat with the lid on for a couple of hours and until the liquid has reduced by half, leave to cool then pour or syringe into the pie until the jelly has filled all the gaps around the pie and is full to the hole.  The other way is to take a tin of game or beef consume and bring to a simmer take off the heat and add a couple of sheets of gelatin stir until dissolved, leave to cool and then pour into the pie.