We love making pies & we don’t think you can beat using fresh, seasonal ingredients. This Salmon & Asparagus pie recipe is a delicious, seasonal dish to make yourself at home from scratch & is guaranteed to impress!

Serves: 8
Prep time: 35 mins
Cooking time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients

For the pastry:
275g (10oz) organic white plain flour
200g (7oz) butter, diced and chilled
1 large egg beaten, plus 1 extra beaten to glaze
Pinch of salt
2tbsp water

For the filling:
2 large eggs and 2 large yolks
200ml carton crème fraîche
4tbsp freshly chopped dill
25g (1oz) butter
225g (8oz) baby button mushrooms, sliced
150g (5oz) asparagus
900g (2lb) salmon fillet, cut into 5cm (2in) wide strips

Method

1. For the pastry; whiz the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add one egg and 2tbsp cold water. Pulse until the mixture just comes together.

2. Knead on a lightly floured surface to form into a ball. Cut off a third of the pastry, wrap both pieces in cling film and chill.

3. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6). Grease and base line a 23cm (9in) spring clip tin with baking parchment.

4. Roll out the larger piece of pastry on a sheet of baking parchment to a 30cm (12in) circle. Lift up the paper and upturn the pastry pressing into the base and sides to line the tin. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and ceramic baking beans. Bake for 25 mins. Remove the paper and beans. Brush the pastry with a little beaten egg. Return the pastry to the oven for another 5-10 mins until almost cooked.

5. To make the filling: mix the eggs and yolks with the crème fraîche and dill. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Heat the butter in a frying pan (or microwave for 30 secs on High), add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes to soften (or 2 mins on High in the microwave.)

7. Blanch the asparagus in a pan of boiling water, or microwave with 2tbsp water on High for 3 mins. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and keep their colour, then drain.

8. Arrange half the salmon in the base of the pastry case, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle over the mushrooms, then arrange the asparagus on top. Arrange the rest of the salmon on top, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

9. Carefully pour over the crème fraîche mixture. Brush the pastry rim with some beaten egg.

10. Roll out the reserved piece of pastry on a floured sheet of baking parchment to a 27.5cm (11inch) circle. Put on top, sealing edges, by pressing well together. Brush with the rest of the beaten egg. Pierce a couple of holes in the centre for steam to escape. Lightly score the top of the pastry, if you like to make a diamond pattern. Bake for 40 mins until golden.

(By www.bakingmad.com)

Check out the ink below for yourself!

Well done to today’s Pieday Friday winners for our Bullring branch. Here’s a quote from the team:

“My Team is Teaching Support from School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham. The team are dedicated, hardworking and loyal and deserve a Friday treat!” - Mala Patel

If you’d like to enter and be in with a chance of winning 10 free pies for you and your team, just CLICK HERE.

We think that our tasty pies are the perfect winter warmer in this cold weather and it seems that Mr Snowman thinks so too!

We’re experiencing cold, wintry weather lately and we don’t think there’s a better way to warm up than tucking into comforting pie, mash and gravy!

Beat those winter blues, and choose from our delicious range of over 12 pies, traditional or flavoured mash  (garlic, horseradish or wholegrain mustard) and top with our tasty gravy…mmm…pie heaven!

Nothing quite gets us feeling festive like a tasty Christmas dinner. That’s why we’ve created a tasty Christmas Dinner Pie to help spread the seasonal spirit!

Our deep-filled pie contains 100% chicken breast, potatoes, seasonal vegetables and is top with a delicious stuffing crust. The perfect pie to warm you up this winter!

With December fast approaching, we’ve been racking our brain’s for fantastic present ideas.

For the dedicated pie lover out there, there is only one choice of present…one of our fantastic pie fan t-shirts! We have a selection of 3 funky t-shirts available; just CLICK HERE to check them out for yourself!

With Halloween coming up at the end of the month, we thought a delicious Pumpkin Pie recipe would get you in the mood. It’s also a great (and delicious !) dessert option for Halloween parties!

Ingredients

Pastry…
Sweet short crust pastry case (or a packet of ready made sweet short crust pastry with 40g/1½oz crushed pecans mixed in.)

For the filling…
450 g/1lb prepared weight pumpkin flesh, cut into 1in/2.5 cm chunks
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk (use the white for another dish)
3 oz/75g soft dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground ginger
10 fl oz/275 ml double cream

Preparation method…
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Use a shop bought sweet crust pastry case, about 9 inch/23 cm diameter and 1½ inches/4 cm deep.

3. To make the filling, steam the pumpkin then place in a coarse sieve and press lightly to extract any excess water.

4. Then lightly whisk the eggs and extra yolk together in a large bowl.

5. Place the sugar, spices and the cream in a pan, bring to simmering point, giving it a whisk to mix everything together. Then pour it over the eggs and whisk it again briefly.

6. Now add the pumpkin pureé, still whisking to combine everything thoroughly.

7. Pour the filling into your pastry case and bake for 35-40 minutes, by which time it will puff up round the edges but still feel slightly wobbly in the centre.

We thought that we’d remind you about our great value offers so that you can make some savings this September!

You can enjoy our fantastic Meal Deal all day, every day for just £4.95 & tuck into a tasty pie, mash, veg & gravy.

You can also take advantage of our 1/2 price Bake Sale from Monday – Friday between 5pm – 6pm…pie-fect!

Check out this delicious cherry pie recipe – it’s certain to tickle your tastebuds & give you a tasty pie fix! Just 3 easy steps and you can enjoy tucking into these sweet cherry pies.

Ingredients

100g butter , chilled and chopped
125g plain flour
60ml soured cream
1 small egg , beaten
2 x 350g jars morello cherries
100g marzipan , cubed (optional)
2 tbsp kirsch
large white sugar crystals or demerara sugar

Method

1. Whizz the butter and flour together to fine breadcrumbs in a food processor, add the soured cream and whizz until the mix starts to clump together. Bring the pastry together on a floured surface, wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

2. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Mix the cherries with 1 tbsp of their liquid, the kirsch and the marzipan (if using), and spoon this into 6 small pie dishes about 200ml each.

3. Roll out the pastry large enough to cut six circles to cover the pies, then cover each pie with one. Trim the edges and crimp neatly with a fork or your fingers. Make a cut or hole in each (or cut out a shape before putting the lids on). Brush with the egg and sprinkle with plenty of sugar. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is browned and cooked through, and the filling is bubbling hot.