Creamy chicken and mushroom pie

It doesn’t matter what the season – pie is always a good idea! This creamy chicken and mushroom pie is absolutely delicious and spot on with the flavour. The recipe itself is quite basic, although it definitely still brings the flavour, so you can add any extras you like along the way. Try using mixed mushrooms if you like or add some finely diced leeks for extra flavour. The puff pastry is lovely and buttery and turns perfectly golden and flakey every time thanks to the milk wash on top. Once you’ve served this delicious and moorish pie up once, you’ll definitely be coming back to it time and time again when you need something warm and comforting at the end of the day. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 25g butter
• 225g button mushrooms, halved
• 1 heaped cup mascarpone or heavy cream cheese
• 150ml low fat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon hot English mustard
• 500g chicken, cooked and diced
• 2 tablespoons diced fresh chives
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 sheet ready made puff pastry

Method

1. Put a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 200C. Melt butter in a large frying pan over a moderately low heat. Add the mushrooms and gently cook, stirring occasionally for 4–5 minutes until tender.

2. Put the mascarpone or cream cheese in a large bowl and lightly beat until softened. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of the milk then pour the rest into the bowl with the mascarpone or cream cheese along with the mustard. Stir together to make a thick sauce.

3. Add the chicken, chives and the mushroom mix with its juices to the creamy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then spoon mixture into a 1 litre pie dish. Place a pie funnel or an upturned ovenproof china eggcup, if you have one, in the middle of the filling to support the pastry lid.

4. If necessary, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface so it’s about 5cm larger than the pie dish. Cut off a 3cm strip around the edge of the pastry sheet, then press this strip onto the rim of the pie dish. Lightly brush with water, then lay the pastry lid on top, pressing the edges together to seal.

5. Trim the excess pastry, pinch to seal, then ‘flake’ the edges. To do this, hold a sharp knife horizontally to the side of the pastry edge and make shallow cuts all the way around. Glaze all over with the remaining milk and cut two slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Place pie dish on the hot baking tray and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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