Apple and Blackberry Pie

As it’s British Pie Week and I’ve already shared a savoury pie recipe this week – my Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie, I thought it only fair to share this delicious Apple and Blackberry Pie for something sweet, yet tart.

This is a pot pie, in that it just uses a puff pastry lid, but as it’s all cooked in the same pan, it’s minimal effort required which it makes it perfect for throwing together when you have a busy family life like we do. Again, I make no apologies for using shop bought puff pastry – but sweet shortcrust would work beautifully here too.

We love it with lashings of custard or ice cream and it’s very popular with both Bridget and Beatrice – but then I’ve yet to find the pudding they don’t enjoy. 

Apple and Blackberry Pie

Here’s how:

• 3 Bramley apples
• Punnet of blackberries
• Juice of 1 whole lemon
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1 sheet ready-made Puff Pastry – I used the Lidl one here

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180⁰.

I use a cast iron dish which can be used on the hob and in the oven for simplicity and less faff, so begin by melting the butter in this dish on a low heat on the hob.

Whilst the butter is melting, peel the apples and chop and throw into the pan with the washed blackberries.

Squeeze over the lemon juice, and the vanilla and add all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar to the pan. 

Apple and Blackberry Pie

Use a wooden spoon to gently move things around and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until you can see the fruit has begun to soften, and the apple has taken on the colour of the blackberries.

Remove from the pan and set aside for a minute.

Now gently place the pastry over the dish, crimping as you go, and then trimming away the excess. This pie for me is always quite rustic, so I don’t spend too much time on the crimping but if you are interested in different ways to do that BBC Good Food has a good section and there are tons of tutorials on Youtube too.

Make a couple of small incisions in the pastry, to allow the steam to escape during cooking.

Now beat the egg in a small bowl or cup and then coat the pastry all over with a brush.

Finally scatter over the remaining caster sugar and then place into the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Apple and Blackberry Pie

Serve with your choice of custard, ice cream or lashings of cream – enjoy!

When they come into season, gooseberries are fantastic in a pie and one of my earlier posts back in 2011 was for this Sweet Gooseberry Pie - I still use this recipe today. 

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

In honour of British Pie Week I wanted to share a favourite pie recipe from our family that usually makes the most of the leftover roast chicken from a Sunday dinner.

You can use any vegetable you like – I’ve used leeks, peas and carrots here, but I’ve thrown in sweetcorn, broccoli and cauliflower before now and they all work well. 

Using up leftover meat is a win, win, as it makes it a speedier dinner whilst avoiding food waste. I have no shame in ALWAYS buying shop bought pastry - I sadly don't have a Kitchenaid or otherwise, nor the time to knock it up by hand. 

The gravy is a rich and unctuous one with a hint of creaminess from milk, but mostly made with chicken stock, so you needn't feel too guilty. 

Serve with a heap of vegetables, and your choice of buttery mash potato or chips – don’t go all healthy, if you’re having pie, you may as well go the whole hog. 

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

Here’s how:

• 250-300g cooked chicken,
• 3 rashers smoked bacon
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 100ml milk
• 300ml chicken stock 
• 2 leeks
• 1 large carrot
• 1 cup peas
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• Freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Black pepper & Sea salt
• 1 sheet ready prepared shortcrust pastry (Jus Rol or a supermarket brand is fine)
• 1 sheet ready prepared puff pastry
• 1 egg

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180◦.

Roughly chop the chicken and set aside for now.

Slice the leeks, and peel and dice the carrot and set aside with the peas.

Now chop the bacon into small pieces and add to a pan to fry in their own fat. If not enough fat is present, add a little of the butter.

While the bacon is cooking make up your chicken stock (unless you are using fresh – in which case remove it from the fridge), and measure out the milk.

Grab a whisk so you have it ready for making the sauce.

Once the bacon is cooked off, use a slotted spoon to remove it and place into a bowl for now.

Add the leeks to the pan and allow to soften well – cook for a good 4-5 minutes until soft.

Now add the carrots and allow to cook for a further minute. Using the slotted spoon again, remove the vegetables from the pan and place into the bowl with the bacon.

Add the remaining butter to the pan, which as it’s hot should melt pretty quickly. Add the flour to make a roux and immediately begin whisking to prevent a lumpy sauce.

Once it resembles a thick paste, then firstly add the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until the paste takes on the liquid and it becomes one.

Once all of the milk has been added, do the same with the stock, whisking all the time.

Now add the mustard powder, and season, still whisking as you go. Go gentle on the salt as bacon and the stock will have salt, but be generous with the black pepper to flavour.

Grate over some nutmeg to taste – I like a lot.

Now use a wooden spoon to continue stirring and allow the sauce to cook out for five minutes or until it has become thick and glossy.

Once the sauce has achieved the required consistency, return the bacon, leeks and carrots to the pan, with the peas and the chicken and stir well to coat everything. Now add the dried thyme and after a couple of minutes, taste to judge if you need any further seasoning.

Once happy allow to cook for a further few minutes, then remove from the heat.

Now generously grease the pie dish all over and simply lay the shortcrust pastry down pressing into the folds of the dish so it hangs over.

Spoon in the pie filling into the centre and evenly distribute in the pie plate. 

Beat the egg and use a pastry brush to coat all around the edge of the pie crust.

Now simply place the puff pastry sheet over the top of the shortcrust pastry – it will overlap quite a bit. Now use your thumb and press down on the pastry edge to crimp, placing a thumb mark down all the way round, one after the other. 

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

Once crimped, then carefully trim away the excess pastry. If you’re feeling creative, you can roll this back out and cut into a pretty shape or the words Pie.

Brush all over with the egg wash and make a couple of small incisions in the pastry – ensuring you cut right through, to make sure the steam can escape and doesn’t leave you with soggy pastry.

Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

Chicken, Bacon and Vegetable Pie

Here are a few more of our family's favourite pie recipes;

Beef and Lentil Filo Pie

Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie

Squash and Goat's Cheese Pie

Steak and Ale Pot Pie

Cheese and Vegetable Pie

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Ever since I was a child, I've disliked the flavour of lamb and whilst I have continued to try it as an adult, I just can't get on board with it. 

On the flip-side, my other half Glen, and our daughters Bridget and Beatrice adore it and miss out on me cooking it very often so if I'm heading out for an evening without them, I do try to prepare a lamb dinner for them. 

Some of the meals I do for them include tagines, stews, curries, hotpot and casseroles and they love a shepherd's pie too. 

This dish was absolutely thrown together in a mad dash whilst also getting ready for an evening at the theatre, and my lot absolutely devoured and asked when I would be making it again and while it is incredibly simple and quick to pop together, I thought it would be worth sharing for any other parents that always look for easy mid-week dinners for all the family.

I make no apology for the fact that I used a jar of Dolmio Creamy Lasagne White Sauce here, I do often make a bechemel sauce, but I always keep a jar of that in the stock cupboard, it tastes good and sometimes a shortcut is needed. Incidentally the Marks & Spencer Bechemel is good too.

The below serves four people.

Here's how:

• 300g lamb mince
• 4 King Edward potatoes (other potatoes will do just fine)
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 3 tbsp frozen peas
• 1 jar of Dolmio White Lasagne Sauce
• 1 tbsp grated Grana Padana or other hard cheese
• 1 Oxo cube
• 1 Knorr Lamb Stock Pot
• 1 tbsp red wine
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• Fresh nutmeg

Firstly peel the potatoes and cut into slices, about 1/2 cm thick. Wash them well and then place in a saucepan, pour over water just boiled from the kettle to cover them, add a pinch of salt and cook on a medium heat for five minutes. Drain and set aside.

Turn the oven on now to 180-200 degrees to pre-heat and prepare the filling.

Firstly dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to a large frying pan with a drizzle of oil to saute. Once soft, add the lamb mince, and use a spatula to gently break down the mince in the pan so it doesn't all clump together. Season now with salt and pepper and once the mince has begun to brown, add the cinnamon too.

In the meantime, peel and dice the carrot and finely slice the celery and add to the mince once it is browned. 

Now crumble over the Oxo cube and add the rosemary and frozen peas and stir well. Make up the Lamb Stock Pot - about 150-200ml and pour over with the dash of red wine and allow to cook down for twenty minutes until the gravy has thickened a little. 

Once you're happy with the consistency of the lamb, pour or ladle it into an oven-proof dish and cover the bottom. 

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Now layer the potatoes across the top, to make the potato topping, and then pour over the lasagne sauce to completely cover. 

For a final flourish of flavour scatter over the grated Grana Padana and finely grate over some fresh nutmeg before placing into the over for 30 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and the top has some lovely golden brown patches. 

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Enjoy!

Here are a few other pie recipes that I've shared on here and which are great autumnal and winter warmers for all of the family:

Chicken and Mushroom Potato Pie
Mediterranean Makeover Cottage Pie
Squash and Goat's Cheese Pie
Chicken & Mushroom Pot Pie
Beef & Lentil Filo Pie
Steak & Ale Pot Pie
Steak & Lentil Cottage Pie

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie

Today marks the start of British Pie Week, a celebration of the humble pastry coated dish and to kickstart a week of flaky (and otherwise) posts and re-posts here is the recipe for our classic Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie.

With just a puff pastry topping, it is slightly less calorific, but still has all the comforting qualities; a rich and satistfying filling with a golden flaky pastry ton top, and more importantly it’s universally popular. I’ve added a little thyme here as it such good friends with both chicken and mushrooms, but tarragon instead makes for a beautiful variation too.

The below feeds a family of four comfortably and you can serve with just a selection of vegetables, or the classic mash potato or even chips of you’re really feeling naughty.

Here’s how:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
• 2 rashers smoked bacon 
• 1 red onion 
• 1 clove garlic 
• 2 tbsps plain flour 
• 2 large chicken breasts 
• 250g mushrooms 
• 1 tbsp dried thyme 
• 350ml chicken stock 
• 200ml milk (use full fat for the rich and creamy texture) 
• Black pepper 
• 1 pack pastry 
• 1 egg Firstly peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and set aside for the moment. Wash and slice the mushrooms and set aside.

Now pour the vegetable oil into a pan and place on a medium heat.

Now cut the bacon into small squares and add to the pan until crisp on both sides, turning as you need to.

As the bacon cooks, cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces.

Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside and now add the chicken to cook in the bacon fat and oil. Just allow to colour to white in each side, and remove from the pan and sit with the bacon.

Now add the onion and garlic to the pan and allow to saute. As soon as the onion is soft stir through the flour, which will make a bit of a paste, which will act as the thickener for the sauce.

Now add a few tablespoons of the stock to the onions and keep stirring rapidly, for a minute then repeat until all of the stock is added, then do the same with the milk, keeping the rapid stirring up constantly to ensure the sauce comes together. It will be quite thin at this point, but don’t be tempted to add anything to thicken, it will do so in the cooking process.

Now return the chicken and bacon to the pan, and season with black pepper (you can season with salt here, but the salt from the bacon should be sufficient, particularly if you’re cooking for children like I am) and add the thyme and give a good stir.

The filling for the Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie

Now pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Put on a low heat and cook for twenty minutes, by which point the sauce will have started to thicken up.

After twenty minutes, spoon all of the chicken mixture into a pie dish and allow to cool for fifteen minutes, again, this will allow for the sauce to thicken slightly more.

Now roll out the puff pastry, or if you have bought a sheet, simply place over the pie dish, and then use your hands to scrunch the pastry underneath the rim of the dish, then cut away the extra.

Now use your thumb all the way round to squeeze underneath and ensure it doesn’t fall off during the cooking.

With the excess pastry, you could make any pattern you choose, Bridget wanted to use her biscuit cutters and we added four hearts to ours.

Now crack an egg into a mug or small bowl and whisk. Then brush it all over the pie with a pastry brush to ensure it goes a lovely golden brown. The final thing to do is to make two or three slashes in to the pie topping to ensure the steam from the pie filling is able to escape, and so the puff pastry rises well and is flaky rather than soggy.

Place into the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is well risn and a lovely shade of golden brown. Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie 

Here’s some other pie recipes:

Squash and Goat's Cheese Pot Pie

Beef and Lentil Beef Pie

Steak and Ale Pot Pie

Cheese and Vegetable Pie

Leftover Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Steak and Ale Pot Pie

There is nothing more warming or comforting than a meal of homemade pie served with smooth mashed potato and vegetables - it just cannot be beaten in the comfort food stakes.

This one is a favourite and I vary it between different ales, sometimes a stout or a Guinness, it always yields fantastic flavour and is a real family favourite.

I only add a puff pastry lid so it isn’t quite as naughty as it could be, and I am unashamed to admit I use shop-bought puff pastry (this time from Lidl) that is ready rolled as a slight shortcut. The meat takes a good three hours of slow braising in the broth before putting into the pie dish though, so I still feel rather virtuous.

Steak and Ale Pot Pie

Here's how:

• 500ml ale (I used Shepherd's Neame Bishop's Finger)
• 500g braising steak
• 100g mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 500ml beef stock or gravy
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp white Pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
• 1 egg

Firstly add the rapeseed oil (olive or vegetable oil is fine too) into a non-stick pan on a medium heat and place the oven onto 180.

Now cut the beef with a sharp knife, into generous bite sized pieces.

In a bowl place the plain flour and season, generously then give a quick stir. Now place the meat into the flour and toss to coat it in the seasoned flour all over. This will help to not only flavour the meat, but to thicken the cooking liquor into a thick gravy.

Add the meat to the pan and sear on all sides to gently brown, then remove the meat and add to a casserole dish.

Now slice a large white onion and add to the dish. Wash and slice the mushrooms and add to the dish and give a good stir.

Pour over the ale you are using and the beef stock, place the lid on top and put the dish into the oven for 3 hours of cooking.

After the first half hour turn the oven down to 160 and try to stir the dish every half hour or so.

Remove from the oven once cooked and test the meat, it should be tender and soft enough to break with ease when pushing a fork through. If the meat is still a little tough, return to the oven for 30 minutes.

Now leave to stand for 30 minutes or more as this will help the sauce to thicken further. Place the meat and juices into a pie dish.

Now place the pastry lid over the top so it hangs over the side and use your thumb to press down all round the edges to seal it. As this is a pot pie it needn't be super neat and certainly isn't at my house.

You can decorate the top with any adornment or leave it plain, as my daughter loves to help me cook we use cookie cutters to make different shapes each time.

Now beat an egg and use a pastry brush to coat the pastry and help it have a lovely shine and colour when cooked.

Finally use a sharp knife to make 2-3 incisions straight into the pastry, this is to allow the steam to rise out and avoid soggy pastry.

Place into the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

Here's a few more savoury pie suggestions from me:

1. Cheese and Vegetable Pie
2. Squash and Goat's Cheese Pie
3. Creamy Leftover Chicken and Mushroom Pie

And if you prefer a potato topping here are some lovely variations:

1. Family Fish Pie
2. Steak and Lentil Cottage Pie
3. Chicken and Mushroom Potato Pie
4. Mediterranean Makeover Potato Pie