Name: Ploughman’s pork & cheese picnic pie
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 8-10
Ingredients: butter for the tin; 500g plain flour; 175g lard diced; 1 egg yolk beaten to glaze; 400g shredded ham meat, or 8 thick slices of ham; 200g fatty pork mince or good-quality sausagemeat; 300g smoked chicken or regular chicken if you have it leftover; 100g pickled silverskin onions halved; 1 tbsp coarse grain mustard; 2 tbsp chopped tarragon or parsley; 200g red leicester or cheddar, cut into 1cm thick slices

Ploughman’s pork & cheese picnic pie served cut into slices

butter
for the tin

For the pastry

500g plain flour
175g lard
diced
1 egg yolk
beaten to glaze

For the filling

400g shredded ham
meat, or 8 thick slices of ham
200g fatty pork mince
or good-quality sausagemeat
300g smoked chicken
or regular chicken if you have it leftover
100g pickled silverskin onions
halved
1 tbsp coarse grain mustard
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
or parsley
200g red leicester
or cheddar, cut into 1cm thick slices

Method

step 1
To make the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl with ½ tsp salt. Pour 200ml water into a saucepan and bring up to the boil, then take off the heat, add the lard and leave to melt. Pour the mixture into the flour, beat with a wooden spoon and work into a dough. Cut a third of the pastry off for the top and wrap in cling film then, while still warm, roll out the other two-thirds of the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Butter a 20cm springform cake tin and line with the pastry, leaving a good amount of excess hanging over the side.
step 2
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 with a sturdy baking tray in it. Make the filling by mixing all the ingredients, except the cheese, together in a bowl and season generously with cracked pepper and a little salt. Pack half the filling well into the lined tin, cover with a layer of cheese slices, then pack over the rest of the filling. Roll the remaining pastry out and lay on top of the filled pie tin, trim the edges leaving a little overhang, and save the trimmings. Crimp the pie all the way around the edge, then brush the top with the beaten egg. Score the top of the pie with the back of a knife to decorate then, using a small cutter, press a hole into the middle of the pie to let steam escape.
step 3
Bake for 15 mins, then reduce the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and cook for a further 50 mins-1 hr until golden brown. Leave until cold. Can be made the day before and kept at room temperature or chilled for two days. Wrap the pie well and take to the picnic in the tin, with a board and a large knife for serving.