It’s that most wonderful time of the year…. again! Blimey.
We were making Caprese Salad not five minutes ago! Oooh nothing can replace that waft of homegrown basil straight off the plant.. hang on I’ll be back in a minute – just enjoying the moment.
Ok, back in the room, where was I?
Oh yes,
It’s Chriiiiistmas! Stuffing, pigs in blankets, gravy that sticks to your ribs what could be better? I know, assemble all the component parts and wrap them up in pastry – Ta Daaaar
Christmas Dinner Pie – what a gift. They look so cute all lined up in the baking tray with our signature pastry stars and hearts. We’ve been preparing a Christmas Dinner Pie for about five years now, the first time I served it was at our Lunchclub, this was more of a Christmas Loaf (Christmas Loaf) than a pie but I managed to secure a marriage proposal from the wonderful Roger!
Like all recipes, it has been tweaked and adapted to fit a particular brief, be that a dietary requirement or texture. We generally prepare individual pies, they are easier to ensure equal portions, plus some foods are not meant to be shared like stuffing balls! But you prepare one bigger pie to share. Endless adaptations to choose from, this is ours.
Baked ham
Roasted turkey
Cooked pig in blanket
Stuffing ball
Brussel sprout halved
Carrots – roasted honey
Parsnip – honey roasted
But take inspiration from the other delights at hand
Leeks – turnips – celeriac
Red cabbage- cauliflower cheese-
Cranberries – apricots -Chestnuts – Apples (yes really)
For the vegan version with swap out the the meat for a Linda alternative, or firm Tofu fried in advance in your favourite christmassy herbs. Use vegan milk to glaze pastry, and for the honey roasted veg use agave syrup or maple syrup with olive oil and balsamic if you’re feeling a bit fancy.
Method
- Grab some pastry, I use shortcrust but puff is fine too. Take the dish you want to prepare your pie in, grease and and line with pastry cool in the fridge till cold and blind bake for around 10 mins, carefully remove the hot baking beans and continue baking for a further 10 mins.
- Once cooled, start to fill with your favourite things (check list above).
- The pie will only want about 20mins in the oven so our ingredients have been cooked/part cooked or will only need 20mins cooking.
- What about the gravy? You can add a little gravy at this point if you
a. Want to
b. Feel the ingredients needs it
c. The pastry can contain it,
Don’t forget to reserve some for once the pie is cooked. - Roll out a pastry lid and attach with beaten egg. Take the time to decorate with remaining pastry, we love our pastry stars and hearts.
- Pop in the oven for 20 minutes and enjoy all the wonders of Christmas in a pie!
We absolutely love this recipe, we hope you do too! If you give this recipe a try, let us know how you get on. Or if you would like us to prepare you are Christmas Dinner Pie, take a look at our website (Menu) on the Monday 14 and you will be able to place your order. All orders need to be placed by the Wednesday 16th and will be delivered on Friday the 18th between NN1 – NN5.
Happy Christmas cooking!
Warmest wishes
Shannon and Liz
