How to Make British Pork Pies
Pies in all forms have long been a favourite across Britain - from your classic steak and ale to game pies. The pork pie though, is a little different. It’s small and stubby and is made with ground pork, a thin layer of meat jelly and a hot-water pastry shell.The hot water pastry involves heating the fat and using a high quantity of water. What you end up with is a pastry that’s easy to shape into cases and can hold wet and heavy fillings. For the pork filling, the exact recipes are often heavily guarded by pie makers but typically use a mix of warming spices like mace, nutmeg and black pepper and sometimes even anchovies.Then for the jelly, you use a mix of gelatin and a stock of your choice as a thin, delicious, wobbly layer that sits between the meat filling and the pastry crust.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 200ml water
- 75g / 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 75g/ 1/3 cup lard
- 450g/16 oz all-purpose/plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- eggwash (beat 1 egg with a splash of water)
For the meat filling:
- 500g/ 18 oz fatty pork shoulder or pork belly, ground
- 1/2 tsp mace
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- small bunch of thyme, leaves only
- salt & pepper to taste
For the jelly:
- 3 gelatin leaves
- 250ml/ 1 cup chicken stock
- salt & pepper to taste
