Chicken and mushroom pie with cheddar shortcrust pastry

Ingredients

For the pastry:

120g of plain flour

1 pinch of salt

30g of butter, chilled

30g of lard

60g Davidstow cheddar cheese, finely grated

1 egg, beaten

For the filling:

2 tbsp of olive oil

3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cubed

150g (5oz) of button mushrooms, quartered

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

50g (2oz) of butter

2 tbsp of plain flour, plus more for dusting

300ml (10 1/2 fl oz) of milk

200ml (7 fl oz) of Chicken stock

white pepper to season, freshly ground

salt to season

2 tbsp of chopped chives

2 tbsp of chopped parsley

1 egg, beaten

Method

Begin by sifting salt and flour into a bowl. Cut the lard and butter into cubes and combine with the flour by rubbing it between your fingertips until you achieve a texture like fine breadcrumbs.

Add the grated cheese to the mixture and use a small amount of the beaten egg, use just enough to bring the mixture together to form a firm dough. Lightly knead the dough and wrap it in cling film. Leave in the fridge until needed.

Set the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

Heat some oil in a frying pan and add the chicken. Once the chicken starts to turn white, add the mushrooms and carry on cooking until the chicken is golden-brown and the mushrooms have released their juices. Take out of the pan and put to one side.

Using the same pan, add some more oil and cook the garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes until soft. Take off the heat and put to one side with the chicken and mushrooms.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and cook for around 3 minutes continuously stirring until you have a thick smooth thick paste.

Mix the salt, white pepper, stock and milk in a bowl. Gradually add to the flour mixture, continuously whisking over a medium heat to produce a smooth sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened.

Add chives and parsley to the sauce before pouring over the chicken and mushrooms. Stir the sauce well with the chicken and mushrooms and spoon it into a pie dish. Leave the mixture until it is completely cool.

Coat your work surface lightly in flour and roll out the pastry dough. The pastry should be approximately 3mm thick, which is roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Cover the edges of the pie dish with beaten egg. Place the pastry on top and press down on the edges and trim. Spread the remaining beaten egg on top of the pie.

Make a few slits in the top of the pie so that steam can evaporate and leave in the oven for 20-25 minutes (until golden-brown).

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