Gammon and Turkey Raised Pie in Cider

I was inspired to create this gammon and turkey raised pie in cider in honour of the great British pie week. The combination of flavours is delectable and the pastry was sturdy, crisp and about as perfect as I could have hoped for. I love how pork and cider go so well together. The turkey added a certain earthiness to the pie and I scattered a few Chantenay carrots into the mix before placing in the oven.

With this recipe, the pastry doesn’t need chilling or resting, so go ahead and prepare the pie filling first, then follow the recipe for the pastry. I have listed the pie filling ingredients and instructions first, then followed with the pastry ingredients and instructions second. It follows a more logical and easy approach – hopefully!

Superb for an autumnal or winter’s evening meal. It is filling, tasty and dangerously moreish.

Gammon and turkey raised pie in cider

Serves 6 as a main course

For the filling:

Coconut oil or butter for frying

2 turkey breasts, diced into 1″ square pieces

750g unsmoked gammon joint, diced into 1″ square pieces

2 red onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 leek, rinsed and sliced

300g Chantenay carrots, rinsed and left whole

200g button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms, rinsed and halved if necessary

1 tbsp crème fraiche

1 tbsp cider brandy

400ml dry cider

6 tbsp plain flour

Juice ½ lemon

How to prepare gammon and turkey raised pie in cider

With this recipe the pastry doesn’t need to chill or rest, so prepare the pie filling first, then move on to preparing the pastry.

In a large frying pan melt the coconut oil or butter over a medium heat. Gently fry the red onions and leeks for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, carrots and garlic, then cook for a further 5 minutes and lightly season. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Next add the meat and fry with the lid off to brown for 5-10 minutes. Return the vegetables to the pan with the flour and combine well. Fry for 1-2 mins. Next add the cider and cider brandy and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes or so until the liquid has reduced by at least 30%. Add the crème fraiche and stir well on a medium heat for approximately 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add black pepper and lemon juice. Let the meat mixture cool while preparing the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Gammon and turkey raised pie in cider

Serves 6 as a main course

For the hot-water crust pastry

450g plain flour

100g strong white bread flour

75g chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes

200ml water

½ teaspoon salt

100g lard

To glaze:

1 egg yolk, beaten

How to prepare gammon and turkey raised pie in cider

Combine both flours with a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in lightly with your fingertips. You can also use your mixer on high speed to help distribute the butter well into breadcrumbs.

Next add the water to a small pan and sprinkle in the salt and put in the lard. Heat gently until the lard has melted, then bring to the boil. Pour the hot mixture on to the flour and using a wooden spoon quickly mix everything together to make a dough. As soon as the dough is cool enough to handle (a couple of minutes), tip it out on to a floured worktop or leave in the bowl and knead it just until smooth and even.

Lining the tin

Beware that the pastry becomes crumbly as it cools, so be ready to roll it out as quickly as possible. Set aside approximately 1/3 of the pastry and wrap it tightly in clingfilm (you’ll use this for the lid). Roll out the remaining pastry to a size large enough to line your tin. Roll the pastry out to a thickness of approximately 3-4 mm. Use your rolling pin to support the pastry from underneath while you lift the pastry into the tin and press it on to the base and side, smoothing out any wrinkles. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the rim. Check there are no cracks or holes in the pastry case. If there are, just press the pastry together or patch with small scraps of pastry.

Add your filling into the pastry-lined tin and make sure it’s level on top. If you find you have a bit of a gap between the filling and top of the tin, either add a few extra vegetables (uncooked) and stir them into the mix, or you can curl the overhanging edges of pastry (which you used to line the tin) back inwards and combine with the edges of the pastry lid to form a chunky lip and just pinch it with your fingers to make it look pretty.

Brush the edges of your pastry case with beaten egg yolk, ready for the lid.

Making the lid

For the lid roll out the remaining pastry to the rough shape you’ll need to match your baking tin. Make sure the pastry is just slightly larger than the top of your tin. Place on top of your gammon, turkey and vegetables and crimp the edges of the case and lid firmly together to seal it well. If you like to be tidy, you can trim off any excess pastry before crimping with your fingers, but I prefer the rustic look for a pie such as this. Stab the centre of the lid with a sharp knife to allow the steam to escape as it cooks.

You can use any trimmings to tart up the pastry lid by making them into pretty shapes or use cutters specifically designed to create leaves, stars, suns, whatever takes your fancy! Glue on with a dab of the beaten egg yolk then brush the remaining egg yolk over the top of the pastry lid to give it a glaze for when it’s finished cooking.

Baking the gammon and turkey raised pie

Place the tin on a baking tray (in case it leaks a little and to help with handling in and out of the oven) and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then turn down the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3 and bake the pie for a further 1¾ hours until the pastry is a rich golden brown.

Leave the pie in its tin for an hour or so before unmoulding. (The pie will retain its heat). Serve with a selection of fresh vegetables.

This pie stores well in the fridge for reheating the next day. Bon appetit and try not to eat too much!