Ploughmans Pork Cheese Picnic Pie Recipes

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Steps:

• Heat oven 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. For the filling, roughly chop the meat in a food processor - you should have minced pieces and chunkier bits. Alternatively, chop all the meat by hand. Mix through the spices, sage and some seasoning. Chill until needed.
• Soak the gelatine in cold water for 10 mins until soft while you reheat the stock. Squeeze out excess water from the gelatine and dissolve in the stock. Transfer to a jug and leave to cool at room temperature.
• For the pastry, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl and place the egg yolk on top. Gently heat the lard, butter and 75ml water in a saucepan. Once boiling, pour into the flour mix, stirring vigorously until well combined. Leave to cool briefly before forming into smooth dough. Cover with cling film.
• Roll out two-thirds of the pastry to a rough rectangle about 0.5cm thick. Lay the pastry into a 900g loaf tin and press evenly into the sides, making sure you leave some overhanging. You can patch up any holes with spare pastry. Fill with the pork mixture and roll the remaining pastry so that it is large enough to cover the pie. Brush the edges with beaten egg, drape over the lid and crimp to seal. Cut off any excess pastry (this extra can be used to decorate the top). Brush with more egg and make a hole to let steam escape. Bake for 45 mins until golden and cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin before removing. Chill for a few hrs. Pour jelly into the chilled pie through the steam hole using a funnel. Chill in the fridge for a few hrs more (preferably overnight) until the jelly is set.
• Build your ploughman's on large plates or wooden boards. Serve the pie cut into slices with your choice of cheese, pickle, bread and a simple salad.