Chicken, Leek & Ham Pie

By Jilly McCord

The weather is turning and leaves are falling, encouraging us all into the countryside for long walks and autumnal scenes. There is nothing better to return to than a big sharing pie to bring everyone together for a warming meal.

This chicken, leek and ham pie is such an impressive looking dish and is deceptively easy to make if you have a little time on your hands. The best way to serve is to bring it to the table and the Granite Surface Protector  makes sure you don't damage your table. Also, the most beautiful addition to any table is the stunning Hoxton Silver Plated Mill Set . 

Difficulty: Medium

Cooking/prep time: 45 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking

Serves: 8

Ingredients: 

For the hot crust pastry:

• 750g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 125g butter
• 125g lard
• 250ml water
• 2 egg yolks with a pinch of salt for brushing

For the filling: 

• 1 whole chicken poached or roasted
• 2 leeks
• 200g shredded ham hock (either cooked or from a packet)
• 800mls chicken stock
• 200mls milk
• 60g butter
• 60g flour
• 50ml double cream
• 2 tsps English mustard
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Method: 

For the filling: 

1. Strip the chicken into bite size pieces (set aside)
2. Chop the leeks and wash in a cold water (set aside)
3. In a pan, cook the sliced leeks in a little butter until soft and then set aside
4. In the same pan, then melt the butter and flour to make a roux
5. Mix the milk and stock together and add gradually to roux, add the cream and stir all the time until it thickens to a sauce the consistency thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
6. Now add the cooked chicken, cooked leeks and ham hock
7. Season generously with salt and pepper and add 2 tsps of English mustard. Add the chopped parsley.
8. Leave the filling to cool completely before filling the pie (this can be made the day ahead)

For the pastry:

1. In a food processor, add the flour and salt and mix in the 2 whole eggs. Blitz until eggs are fully incorporated and texture is very fine crumbs
2. In a pan add the lard, butter and water and melt until all dissolved
3. Now turn the food processor back on and pour the liquid into the flour mixture until you get a firm but pliable consistency – you might not need all of the mixture.
4. Tip out onto a floured surface and split into a piece that is roughly 2/3 and one that is roughly 1/3
5. Take a 23cm springform tin and roll out the 2/3 part of the pastry until it is about the thickness of around 5mm and line the tin, leaving some pastry overhanging
6. Now roll out the lid part into a circle that will be larger than the size of your dish
7. Take the 2 egg yolks and mix with the salt. Use a pastry brush to create a sticky seal around the top of the pie to attach the lid
8. Now use your chicken mixture to fill the pie as full as possible.
9. Lay the pastry lid on top and crimp the top using your fingers or a fork
10. Make a small hole in the middle of the pie to let out any steam
11. Paint the top with the egg wash until it is a lovely golden colour.
12. You can now use any excess pastry cuttings to make some decoration for the top – I did some simple leaves, but anything goes! Brush the decoration with any leftover egg wash
13. Place the pie in the fridge for half an hour to firm up and in the meantime heat your oven to 200C/190C fan oven
14. Cook the pie for around 50mins to an hour – test that the filling is warm by sticking in a skewer to test

To serve: 

I served it with some mashed potato, glazed carrots, peas and chicken gravy for a special Sunday lunch, but again this is totally up to you.