Pork and egg picnic pie

Serves 6-8

For the hot water crust pastry you will need:

• 75g butter, cubed

• 100ml water

• 225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

• Pinch of salt

• 1 egg, beaten (plus another for glazing)

For the filling, you will need:

• 625g minced pork

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated

• 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs, such as a mixture of chopped parsley, chives, thyme and sage

• 1 egg, beaten

• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the topping, you will need:

• 10 bacon rashers, not streaky, trimmed of fat and rind

• 4 eggs

• 25cm diameter tart tin with 3cm sides 1 First, prepare the pastry. Place the butter and the water in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, then allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil.

2 Meanwhile, sift the flour and the salt into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg. Pour the hot liquid into the flour and quickly stir with a wooden spoon to mix to a dough. Use the wooden spoon to spread the dough out on a large plate and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Knead the dough into a ball, flatten slightly, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.

3 While the pastry is chilling, mix the minced pork with the garlic, the chopped herbs, the beaten egg, and the nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, then fry a tiny bit to taste for seasoning. Add more seasoning if needed.

4 Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4.

5 Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until it is about 7mm thick, and use to line the base and sides of the tart tin. Trim the edges and brush around them with some of the beaten egg.

6 Cover the base of the pastry with five of the trimmed bacon rashers. Place the minced pork mixture over the top, then make four ‘dips’ or ‘wells’ for the eggs to go into. Crack an egg into each of these ‘wells’, then cover the mixture with the remaining five rashers.

7 Roll out the second half of the pastry until it is also about 7mm thick and carefully place it on top of the pie. Trim the edges and brush the top with a little more of the beaten egg. If you wish, roll out the scraps until they are about 5mm thick and cut into leaves or whatever shapes take your fancy! Place on top of the pie and brush the shapes with the remainder of the beaten egg to glaze.

8 Make a hole, about 5mm wide, in the centre of the pastry at the top of the pie and cook in the oven for approximately 70-80 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out hot – too hot to hold on the inside of your wrist. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the tin. When cooled, cut into slices to serve.