Reestit Mutton Pie

I tried a small version of a similar pie to this, served cold with a small amount of meet for the filling. I used this as inspiration for this pie, served hot with mash and veggies. Make sure you soak the reestit mutton overnight, or it will be too salty. Buy your reestit mutton from here https://thuleventus.co.uk/products/reestit-mutton

Ingredients for the Pie Filling:

• 2 tbsp salted butter

• 2 small onions, diced

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

• 300g mushrooms, sliced

• 2 carrots, diced into even sized cubes

• 4 springs of fresh thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 spring fresh rosemary

• Reestit mutton, soaked overnight and boiled for 2 hours until tender, deboned and shredded

• Black pepper

• 1 generous spoon beremeal flour

• 1 can Guinness (440ml)

• 1 tbsp Henderson's relish

Method for the pie filling:

1. Melt the butter on low heat and add the onions. Cook for a few minutes until starting to turn soft and see through.

2. Add the garlic and carrots, cooking for another 5 minutes until beginning to turn soft.

3. Add the mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and rosemary. Cook everything down until the mushrooms have released all the their liquid and have reduced in volume.

4. Add the mutton and grate a generous amount of black pepper. Cook until the meat is hot all the way through.

5. Add the flour and stir in. Pour in the beer and Henderson's relish. Let it bubble for a minute, then stir frequently to prevent the mix sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.

6. Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and reduced. Set aside to cook while you make the pastry.

Ingredients for the Pastry:

• 450g plain flour

• 100g strong bread flour

• 75g cold, unsalted butter, cubed

• 200ml water

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 100g lard

• 1 egg, beated

Method for the pie pastry:

1. Mix the 2 flours together in a big bowl.

2. Add the butter and rub in until it resembles breadcrumbs and all the butter is incorporated. Melt the lard, water and salt together.

3. Pour into the flour and use a wooden spatula to bring everything together as it will be hot. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth.

4. At this point you can either line individual pie dishes or one large one with the dough. Make sure you work with it while it is still hot as this makes it easier to handle and mould to your pie dish.

5. If making individual pies, divide the dough into 6 even balls. Cut 1/3 off to use as a lid.

To put the pie together:

1. I went for one large pie, so remove about a third from the dough and set aside.

2. Roll the rest large enough to fit your pie dish and place to cover the bottom and sides.

3. Pour the meat mixture in and spread evenly around.

4. Roll the smaller ball of dough and place it on top of the meat to cover everything. Crimp the edges together, then glaze with the egg.

5. Stick a few holes over the top to allow steam to escape. If making smaller pies, use the same method but for each individual dish.

6. Bake at 200° C for 35-40 mins.