ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLE PIE

Packed with flavour, this pie will please all your Christmas guests – and judging by how quickly it was eaten on our photo shoot, meat- eaters will love it too!

Serves 6

200g (7oz) swede, peeled and diced

200g (7oz) celeriac, peeled and diced

200g (7oz) butternut squash, peeled and diced 200g (7oz) carrots, peeled and diced

10 cloves of garlic

100g (3½oz) melted butter

A good pinch of coarse sea salt

50g (1¾oz) dried porcini mushrooms, sliced

For the sauce

20g (¾oz) butter

20g (¾oz) flour

300ml (½pt) milk

2tsp picked thyme leaves

100g (3½oz) Cheddar cheese, grated 8 pickled onions, cut in half

2 x 320g ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry sheets

2 egg yolks, beaten

A pinch of flaky salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Place the diced vegetables, whole garlic cloves and melted butter into a large roasting dish. Sprinkle with the sea salt and toss. Place the tray in the oven for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through. Remove and set aside to cool.

Place the dried porcini in a bowl and pour 100ml (3½fl oz) of boiling water over. Leave to soften for 5 minutes, then drain. For the sauce, melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk and whisk until thickened. Stir in the thyme, Cheddar, drained porcini and pickled onions. Add the roasted vegetables and mix.

To assemble, lay one sheet of pastry into an 8-9in (20-23cm) pie dish and trim off any excess, reserving it for decorations. Spoon the filling into the pastry, then brush the edges with cold water and lay the second sheet of pastry on top. Press down, trim off the excess and crimp the edges. Roll out the pastry offcuts and cut out a stem and leaves to decorate the top (see pictured). Bake for 20 minutes, then remove, brush with egg yolk and sprinkle on the pinch of salt. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until crispy and golden. Leave for 5 minutes before serving.