Scotch egg pie

Serves 6- 8 Prep 45 mins plus cooling Cook 45 mins £1.06 per serving 697 kcals, 49g fat, 16g sat. fat, 3g sugar

8 medium eggs 14 Lincolnshire sausages 1 tsp ground mace 1 tbsp thyme leaves 100g fresh breadcrumbs 500g pack shortcrust pastry flour,

for dusting 1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 Put 6 of the eggs in a large pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Leave for 5 mins, then lift out eggs and cool under cold running water. Peel.

2 Snip the ends of the sausages and squeeze the meat into a mixing bowl. Add the mace, thyme, 75g of breadcrumbs, 1 remaining egg and some ground pepper. Mix together well – you’ll probably need to get your hands in.

3 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Crisscross 2 long strips of baking parchment in a 20cm pie tin or round cake tin (to help you lift out the pie). Roll out half the pastry on a lightly-floured surface to line the tin. Scatter remaining breadcrumbs over the base of the pastry, then pat in about a quarter of the sausage mixture. Evenly space the peeled eggs on top, then gently pack the meat around and over – trying to evenly cover the eggs without leaving any gaps.

4 Roll out remaining pastry, cover the pie and trim the edges. Pinch and crimp edges to seal, poke a steam hole in the top, then glaze with the final egg, lightly beaten with a fork. Scatter with the sesame seeds, then bake for 30 mins.

5 Take the pie out of the oven and carefully remove it from the tin. Place on a baking tray and return to the oven for 10 mins to brown the sides of the pie. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then serve in chunky wedges.