CHICKEN, LEEK AND CIDER MUG POT PIES

When I handed my mum one of these pies on a blustery day, she dug in and without so much as a thank you said, in her Northern accent, ‘ Oh love, there’s a lot of leek in here.’ But that’s the point: lots of leeks, because I love them – especially when they’re sweetly caramelised and mixed with dry cider. Serves 4-6 (depending on the size of your mugs) 500g (1lb 2oz) chicken thighs Olive oil, for frying Sea salt flakes Coarse black pepper 400g (14oz) leeks (about 4), washed, trimmed and thinly sliced 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter 400ml (14fl oz) dry cider 100g (3½oz) full-fat crème fraîche 320g packet ready-rolled puff pastry Plain flour, for dusting Chop the chicken into 2cm (¾in) nuggets. Heat a fairly large saucepan over a high heat and add a glug of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces with a pinch of salt and pepper and fry, stirring occasionally, until they are seared on all sides. Remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl, setting aside until needed. Put the leeks into the same pan with the butter and another pinch of salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to low. Allow the leeks to caramelise very slowly, stirring occasionally – this will take a good 20 minutes or so.

Once the leeks have cooked down, return the chicken to the pan and pour the cider over. Increase the heat to bring the contents of the pan to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes – you want the cider to evaporate just a little. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6. Once the filling has cooled, add the crème fraîche and more salt and pepper to taste, then stir until well mixed. Divide the mixture between 4-6 ovenproof mugs.

For the pastry lids, unwrap the puff pastry, then roll it back up tightly. Slice the roll into 4- 6 even portions, one for each mug. Place one of these portions cut- side up and flatten it into a disc with the palm of your hand.

Dust a worktop with a little flour and roll the disc out with a rolling pin until it is just a bit larger than the top of one of the mugs. Repeat with the remaining portions of pastry, then place them on top of the mugs, tucking in the excess. Bake the pies in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the pastry puffs up and turns golden brown, then remove them and serve.