Mutton Mince Pie Recipe

Ingredients

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
150g cold butter
Sea salt
2-3 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp olive oil
2cm piece of fresh ginger
150g apples
50g walnut halves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
½ nutmeg
75g raisins
2 heaped tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cognac (optional)
400g mutton mince

Prep: 40 mins + chilling | Cook: 1 hr 15 mins

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Method

1. Sift the flour into a bowl. Chop in the cold butter and use your fingertips to rub it in to make fine breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and 2-3 tbsp cold water. Stir together to form a soft dough. Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins, or overnight.

2. Heat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7 and place a baking tray in there to heat. Butter a deep, loose bottomed 20cm cake tin. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Add 400g mutton mince and fry for 10-12 mins, stirring occasionally, till the mince is browned. Pour off any excess liquid.

3. While the mince fries, peel and grate the ginger and apples. Finely chop the walnut halves. Stir the ginger, apples, walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp ground cloves. Grate in ½ of a nutmeg. Add the raisins, sugar and cognac. Mix well. Taste and add a pinch of salt if you think it needs it. Set aside to cool.

4. Slice off one-third of the pastry and set aside. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the larger round to make a circle approximately 25cm across. Use it to line the cake tin, making sure it comes all the way up the sides. Spoon the mutton filling into the pastry case. Roll out the remaining pastry to make a 20cm round. Lay it in top of the pie filling and then fold down any pastry that is running up the sides. Use a fork to crimp the pastry edges together.

5. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg or milk and place the tin on the hot baking tray. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr till golden. Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the pie. Lift out of the tin. Serve warm, in slices, with buttered cabbage and gravy, or cold as part of a Boxing Day buffet.