Cookbook

Gordon Ramsey & Mark Sargeant
Great British Pub Food

Enjoy these adorable little pies warm or cold with piccalilli or pickled onions and a pint of ale.

makes 8

Hot water crust pastry
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 large egg
50g unsalted butter
50g lard
85ml water
1 medium egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water, to glaze

Filling
400g minced pork (roughly equal quantities of belly and shoulder meat)
250g sausagemeat
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped sage
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
5 juniper berries, ground with a pinch of salt
pinch of allspice
sea salt
black pepper

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Crack the egg into the well and sprinkle over some of the flour. Put the butter, lard and water into a small pan and heat gently until melted, then bring to the boil. Immediately pour around the edge of the flour and quickly stir together, using a butter knife, to combine. Knead the dough lightly until smooth; it will be quite soft at this stage. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour until firm.

Meanwhile, for the filling, mix all the ingredients together, seasoning well. Divide into 8 portions, about 80g each, and roll into balls. Cut off one-third of the pastry for the pie lids, re-wrap and chill. Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a saucer, about 11cm in diameter, as a template, cut out 8 circles. Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness and cut out 7cm rounds for the lids, using a pastry cutter.

To assemble each pie, places a stuffing ball in the middle of a pastry base and flatten it slightly to get a flat base and straighter sides. Put a pastry lid on top. Brush the pastry base border with egg glaze, then draw up it up around the filling to meet the lid. Curl the edge of the lid up to meet the top inside edge of the pie case and pinch together to seal. Repeat with the other pies, then crimp the edges. Chill until firm.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Place the pies on a baking sheet and make a hole in the centre of each lid with a skewer. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the setting to 170°C/Gas 3. Brush the pies evenly with egg glaze and bake for a further 10 minutes until cooked. To test, insert a skewer into the centre of a pie for a few seconds; it should feel hot to the touch as you remove it. Transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool.