The New Murrey and Blue blog

All the best Christmas feasts included a Greyt Pye. It could contain many different meats, so you can choose for yourself which you include.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb shortcrust pastry (I suggest using ready rolled!)
• 1 egg white, beaten until liquid
• 450g/1lb boned and skinned chicken breasts (or other fowl such as duck or pigeon) and/or saddle of hare or rabbit (not stewing meat)
• Salt and black pepper
• 450g/1lb minced beef
• 2 tablespoons shredded suet
• 3 hard boiled egg yolks, crumbled
• spice mixture of 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and mace and a pinch of ground cloves
• 25g/1oz stoned cooking dates, chopped
• 25g/1oz currants
• 50g/2oz stoned prunes, soaked and drained
• 125ml/4 fl oz beef stock
• 1 tablespoon cornflour

Line a 9in/23cm pie dish with just over half the pastry and brush the inside with the egg white.

Parboil the meat gently in salted water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. In a bowl, mix the minced beef, suet, salt and pepper to taste, egg yolks and half the spice mix. In another bowl, mix together the dried fruit and the rest of the spice mix. Slice up the meat.

Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of the beef stock to the cornflour in a small saucepan and blend together, than add the rest of the stock and heat gently, while sitrring, until thickened. Keep to one side.

Spoon half the mince mixture into the pie dish and arrange the sliced meat on top in a flat layer. scatter the spiced fruit over it and cover with aother layer of mince. Pour the stock over the top.

Use the rest of the patry to make a lid for the pie. Brush the rim of the pie case with egg white and cover with the lid, pressing the edges to seal. Make a couple of slits for the steam to escape.

Decorate with the trimmings of the pastry and brush the whole lid with egg white.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160°C/325°F/ Gas mark 3 and bake for a further 45-50 minutes.

Enjoy!