How To Make Raised Pork Pie

This is so old-fashioned there are records of this recipe dating back to the 15th century, meaning raised pork pies were absolutely ancient hundreds of years before Mrs Beeton's time, so it's a pity our experience of pork pies tends to be limited to the very pink and unnatural mass-produced shop-bought variety today. Originally, raised pork pies were so called because the pastry was pulled up or raised around a jar or a thick collar of greaseproof paper to get its shape, and some people, including my sister-in-law Claire (who gave me her recipe) still make them this way; far too demanding for people like me who only have as much dexterity and patience as it takes to fill and unload a spring-release cake tin. You can't knock one up in a few minutes flat either - there's a long cooking and waiting time - but home-made pork pies are actually very easy to make, and so much better than the aforementioned pink ones that they're definitely worth doing occasionally, especially as they're also pretty economical if you think about it. The amount of meat in theis recipe, roughly 3lb (1.5kg) costs around £6; the other ingredients are cheap store cupboard items, and the result is a huge impressive-looking pie, make in an 8-9 inch (20.5cm) tin, which is enough to feed at least a dozen people. You can either use boneless leg or shoulder of pork cut into cubes, or minced pork and good-quality sausages, which could be pork and herb, pork and apple, Cumberland or Lincolnshire, or a combination of these, but there's no point in making a home-made pie with value sausages or cheap sausagemeant. You may as well not bother, Finally, although all traditional pork pie recipes involve making aspic for pouring into the pie at the end, I can't see the point of making jellied stock or, heaven forbid, boiling up veal bones for the real thing, which adds at least two more stages to the method, makes the pastry soggier than it needs to be and contributes very little to the whole pork pie eating experience since I've never met anyone who doesn't immediately remove the jelly and leave it on the side of their plate. (Although admittedly, home-made jelly is a lot nicer than the thick white glutinous stuff in shop-bought pies.) Anyway I've included the jelly-making bit just in case, so put it in or leave it out - it's up to you.

1. Step 1:

   Put ½ pint (250 ml) of water and the fat into a small saucepan and bring to the boil; meanwhile sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.

2. Step 2:

   Once the fat has melted and the water has just reached boiling point, pour the liquid into the well and quickly beat in the flour with a wooden spoon to make a dough. (Don’t worry if the dough looks a bit dry and doesn’t come together perfectly at this stage; it will once you start working it by hand.)

3. Step 3:

   Start pinching the dough together with your fingers (do it carefully, it’s still very hot) and knead well until it becomes a smooth, shiny ball. Cover the dough with a damp cloth or cling film and leave in a warm place to rest for about half an hour.

4. Step 4:

   If you’re making the jelly, dissolve the stock cube in ½ pint (250 ml) of boiling water in a measuring jug at this stage, add a bay leaf and a bouquet garni bag and leave to cool for about

5. Step 5:

   While you’re waiting for the dough, preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4–5 (180–190°C) and baseline the tin with greaseproof paper, lightly oiling the whole inside of the tin. Prepare the meat mixture by squeezing the sausages out of their skins and mixing them with the minced pork, herbs and spices, then squishing it all together with your hands.

6. Step 6:

   Roll out ? of the dough on a lightly floured surface till it makes a rough, thick circle slightly larger than the base of the tin. Put the circle of dough in the tin and raise it up the sides of the tin by gently pressing and stretching the dough from the centre, outwards and upwards.

7. Step 7:

   Fill the pie with the meat mixture in a dome shape to give the finished pie a more pleasing appearance than if it was just flat across the top.

8. Step 8:

   Roll out the remaining ? of the dough into a rough circle about the same size as the first one to make the lid. Cover the pie with the lid, trimming the lid into shape and firmly pinching the edges and sides of the pastry together with your thumb and forefinger all the way round to make a crust.

9. Step 9:

   Use the pastry trimmings to decorate the pie by cutting out leaves with a small sharp knife, or making any shapes you like with pastry cutters. Make a hole about the size of a pencil in the centre of the pie if you’re making jelly later and glaze the pastry with the beaten egg.

10. Step 10:

    Bake the pie on Gas Mark 5–6 (190–200°C) for about half an hour, then turn the oven down to Gas Mark 3–4 (170–180°C), cover loosely with foil and bake for another 2 ½ hours until the pastry is a deep golden brown.

11. Step 11:

    Release the spring immediately and remove the ring leaving the pie on the base to cool down for about 1 hour. Put the pie in the fridge as soon as you can and leave for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight to become completely cold.