We’ve put together a few easy pie recipes to warm your belly while we wait for spring to be sprung. We’ve got some British classics, one with a veggie twist, perfect for placing on your window to create those cartoon floaty smell tendrils. Get these in ya!
DISCLAIMER: If you are used to making your own pastry (ooh, look at you!) then turn away, as these either involve a mashed potato topping or store-bought pastry.
Hearty Fish Pie
Ingredients:
1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and halved (peeling optional if you like those bits in the mash!)
400ml milk, plus a splash
25g butter, plus a knob
25g plain flour
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 x pack fish pie mix (cod, salmon, smoked haddock etc, weight around 320g-400g depending on pack size)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ a 25g pack or a small bunch chives, finely chopped
handful frozen sweetcorn
handful frozen petits pois
handful grated cheddar
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6. - STEP 2
Put 1kg potatoes, peeled and halved, in a saucepan and pour over enough water to cover them. Bring to the boil and then simmer until tender. - STEP 3
When cooked, drain thoroughly and mash with a splash of milk and a knob of butter. Season with ground black pepper. - STEP 4
Put 25g butter, 25g plain flour and 4 finely sliced spring onions in another pan and heat gently until the butter has melted, stirring regularly. Cook for 1-2 mins. - STEP 5
Gradually whisk in 400ml milk using a balloon whisk if you have one. Bring to the boil, stirring to avoid any lumps and sticking at the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3-4 mins until thickened. - STEP 6
Take off the heat and stir in 320g-400g mixed fish, 1 tsp Dijon or English mustard, a small bunch of finely snipped chives, handful of sweetcorn and handful of petits pois. Spoon into an ovenproof dish or 6-8 ramekins. - STEP 7
Spoon the potato on top and sprinkle with a handful of grated cheddar cheese. - STEP 8
Pop in the oven for 20-25 mins or until golden and bubbling at the edges. Alternatively, cover and freeze the pie or mini pies for another time.
Warming Chicken, Kale and Mushroom Pot Pie
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350g chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
300ml chicken stock
100g crème fraîche
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
100g kale
2 tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp cold water
375g pack puff pastry, rolled into a circle slightly bigger than your dish
1 egg yolk, to glaze
Method
- STEP 1
Heat ½ tbsp oil over a gentle heat in a flameproof casserole dish. Add the onion and cook for 5 mins until softened. Scatter over the thyme and garlic, and stir for 1 min. Turn up the heat and add the chicken, frying until golden but not fully cooked. Add the mushrooms and the remaining oil. Heat oven to 200C/180 fan/gas 6. - STEP 2
Add the stock, crème fraîche, mustard and kale, and season well. Add the cornflour mixture and stir until thickened a little. - STEP 3
Remove from the heat and cover with the puff pastry lid, pressing into the sides of the casserole dish. Slice a cross in the centre and glaze with the egg. Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is puffed up and golden.
Veggie/Vegan Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 large carrots (500g/1lb 2oz in total), cut into sugar-cube size pieces
2 tbsp thyme chopped
200ml red wine
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 vegetable stock cubes
410g can green lentils
950g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
25g butter
85g mature cheddar (or vegan cheese), grated
Method
- STEP 1
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, then fry 1 halved and sliced large onion until golden. - STEP 2
Add 2 large carrots, cut into sugar-cube size pieces and most of the 2 tbsp chopped thyme, reserving a sprinkling for later. - STEP 3
Pour in 200ml red wine, 150ml water and a 400g chopped tomatoes, then crumble in 2 vegetable stock cubes and simmer for 10 mins. - STEP 4
Tip in a 410g can green lentils, including the juice, then cover and simmer for another 10 mins until the carrots still have a bit of bite and the lentils are pulpy. - STEP 5
Meanwhile, boil 950g sweet potatoes, cut into chunks, for 15 mins until tender, drain well, then mash with 25g butter and season to taste. - STEP 6
Pile the lentil mixture into a pie dish, spoon the mash on top, then sprinkle over 85g grated cheese and the remaining thyme. The pie can now be covered and chilled for 2 days, or frozen for up to a month. - STEP 7
Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cook for 20 mins if cooking straightaway, or for 40 mins from chilled, until golden and hot all the way through. Serve with broccoli.