Turns out we did…

It’s British Pie Week soon! 4th to 10th March to be precise. It’s an annual event to celebrate a popular icon of British cuisine. That said, when you learn that Brits are estimated to eat £1billion worth of pies each year, it would appear that every week is British pie week. That figure doesn’t even counting those that are home-made, which is a somewhat incredible fact.

To celebrate British Pie week, the good folks at Denby have shared some mouth-watering pie recipes with us. They’re a bit different to the traditional pies you might be used to, but we still think you might be tempted!

Crunchy Topped Leek and Broccoli Fish Pie – Serves 4 -6

Ingredients

• 200g fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
• A good handful of fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
• 150g unsalted butter, melted
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
• 2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 300g broccoli, cut into small florets
• A splash of extra virgin olive oil
• 800g firm white fish (we used cod) cut into medium sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon of plain flour
• 2 x 300g tubs of sour cream
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 250ml warm water
• Lemon zest, to serve

Method

• Heat the oven to 400°F / 200°C and prepare a shallow casserole dish with a splash of olive oil.
• Place the breadcrumbs, half the melted butter, half the chopped tarragon, salt and pepper into a large bowl and mix to combine. Set to one side.
• Heat the remaining butter in the shallow casserole on a low to medium heat on the hob. Add the leeks, garlic and broccoli florets and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened.
• On a small plate, season the flour with salt and pepper and coat the fish pieces. Place them in the shallow casserole dish.
• In a small bowl, add the sour cream, tarragon, mustard and water, mixing well.
• Pour over the ingredients in the casserole dish and stir gently to combine. Top with the breadcrumbs and cook in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
• Serve the fish pie into bowls with seasonal greens such as kale or Swiss chard. Enjoy!

Apple Pie with Blackberries & Clementine – Serves 6

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 110g cold, cubed butter
• 4 apples
• 150g blackberries
• Zest & juice of 1 clementine
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp ground ginger
• Handful of brown sugar

Method

• Pre heat your oven to 170c. Rub the butter into the flour until a crumb has formed then add 3-5 tbsp water until you have a moist dough but still with a bit of crumble. Cut in half and roll one half out to 0.5cm thick. Place into an over proof medium size dish or small oven proof ramekins if you’re making individual portions.
• Trim the edges of the pastry, prick all over with a fork and blind bake for 7 minutes. Whilst that’s cooking peel and chop your apples into small cubes. Add to a bowl with the blackberries, clementine, sugar and spices. Mix well.
• Fill your pie crust to the brim and cover with the other half of your pastry. Roll out the off-cuts and decorate as you like! It looks stylish to plait around the edge or have fun making leaves.
• Egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pie is a rich golden brown.
• Serve with double cream, vanilla custard or caramel ice cream to elevate the flavours.