SCOTCH PIES

The Scotch Pies

When made well, these little gems are had to beat. The Scotch pie has been around for years, yet in the south of England, they can easily be overlooked in favour of a cornish pasty or a well-made sausage roll. Nothing wrong with that; I love them all. But if you are looking for something traditional, easy to make a snack or indeed as part of the main meal, the scotch pie may be your answer.

I have eaten lots of these pies, and some are better than others. But tradition wins out when it comes to making these.

A hot-crust pastry case covers a traditional mutton mince (old sheep) filling. Mutton, however, isn’t the easiest to obtain, so many bakers resort to using mince Lamb or a combination of Mince Lamb and Beef.

The mince is flavoured with mace and marjoram, black and white pepper and salt. A small amount of lamb stock is added to the mix to keep the mixture moist.

Method

Pastry Casing

Hot-Crust Pastry is easy to make. First, add your flour to a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre in readiness for the water lard mixture.

Add 240ml boiling water, 1 tsp salt,  and 180g of cubed lard in a pan. Place this over the heat and stir until the lard has dissolved. Once dissolved, pour the mixture into the well of the flour.

Use a wooden spoon to bring the flour and the water-lard together initially. DO NOT initially attempt to use your hands as you may burn your fingers on the boiling water mixture.

Once mixed, it forms a dough and should be warm but cool enough to handle.

Pour the dough onto a work service and form a ball of warm pastry. The pastry can then be rolled.

The pie cases need to be round. You can use either a flat-based ramekin, an egg/crumpet ring or a straight-edged flat-based pie tin.

Roll the pastry thinly 3-4mm and line the tin. The lid or top is made separately and is made slightly smaller than the diameter of the pastry case as it will sit on the top of the meat mixture. The lid has a central hole cut into it to allow steam from the pie.

Now here is the important bit!

The cases should be allowed to dry hard before use. Bakers of the pies will leave a case at least 24 hours and, in some cases, more before use. The case will then support itself and can be removed from the tin to use. However, IF you do not wish to wait, at least leave these a few hours in the fridge and keep the pastry case in the tin to cook. (Sorry, Scotland, I realise this is not in good tradition, but it works fine for a home bake)

Whatever method you adopt, leave aside ready for the meat mixture.

Filling

Crush the lamb stock cubes into a small bowl and add 1 tsp of the Bisto gravy powder (not granules), add a small 250ml of boiling water and stir until it has dissolved and leave to cool. Now place the minced Lamb / Mutton / Lamb in a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, mace, marjoram, salt, pepper. I like my pies well seasoned so add more pepper to your liking.

Although tradition and recipes may differ, the addition of breadcrumbs will soak any sauce and keep the pie moist once cooked

To the mixture, add 200-240ml of the lamb stock. The mixture needs to be slightly moist but not like a traditional meat pie that you may have eaten before. The pie, when cooked, has a firm meat filling full of flavour

Place the filling in the pie cases but fill only ¾ high. Firm the filling down using your fingers and then add the lid, pushing this firmly in place and tight to the edges. There should be a gap from the top of the pie to the lid. Brush the lid with milk, and it is ready to bake!

Place the pies on a middle shelf 170c for 40 min, remove them, and they are ready to serve. The pies can be eaten hot or cold on their own or served with chip peas and gravy.

Enjoy!

Thanks, Scotland, a nice pie indeed!