How to Make Festive Pie

What is the Dish?

A classic British Christmas dinner encased in thick pastry. A delicious main, its 95 minutes of combined prep and cooking time is good news for chefs during a busy service.

Serve with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

The ingredients below make six individual pies, costing £10.92 in total – offering you a potential profit of £61.80.

Ingredients

This is a simple recipe which can be prepped well in advance when service is already busier than usual.

Roast turkey is a Christmas staple. Your customers will enjoy this new take on the festive flavours they know and love.

What Steps Do I Follow?

Pastry

1. Combine the flour and suet in a food processor, adding a teaspoon of salt
2. Blitz until there are no lumps, then gradually add the milk and pulse until the pastry comes together
3. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes

While your pastry is chilling, move onto the filling.

Pie Filling

1. Dice the onion and gently fry in a little butter until soft
2. Add the diced turkey and cook without colouring the meat
3. Add the sausage meat and the ham, stirring occasionally, breaking up the sausage meat
4. Add the apricots, chestnuts, cranberries, sage, cream and stock
5. Stir occasionally until the cream thickens, then set aside while you cook your pastry

Assembly

1. Roll out ¾ of the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, then use a pastry cutter to cut a circular pie lid. (You can also use a stencil to create a festive design for the top of the pies)
2. Divide the pastry into four equal parts, then roll out enough pastry to fill your pie dishes. As a reference, the pastry should be the thickness of a £1 coin
3. Fill the dish with baking beans to prevent your pastry puffing up
4. Blind bake for 20 minutes at 180°C, then remove from the oven, but keep the oven temperature at 180°C
5. Spoon the mixture into each open pie, then brush the rim of each dish with egg wash to ensure an even bake. Bake for 30 minutes
6. Remove your pies from the oven and decorate your plates
7. Prop your charred sprouts and chestnuts against the pie and scatter with poppy seeds

What Equipment Do I Need?

Here you'll find the tools of the trade needed to replicate this pie for your menu.

Chef Profile

"I have worked in the industry for more than 10 years.

"From sous chef to head chef to catering manager, I've worked my way up the ranks in environments ranging from a seafront restaurant to a military camp.

"My recipe ideas come from balancing flavours I've come across throughout my career and injecting them into classic dishes to give customers exciting tastes and enjoyable experiences."

Chris John | NCEC Development Chef