Jewelled pork & pistachio pie

A nod to everyone’s favourite Christmas trimming, pigs in blankets, this striking pie will be the crowning glory of your Boxing Day table. With sausage and bacon, as well as hints of sage and nutmeg, and a little sweetness from dried fruits, this is packed with flavour and keeps in the fridge for a few days – so, ideal for last-minute guests or a late-night snack with pickles and cheese. The hot water crust pastry means it doesn’t require a delicate touch, and there’s no jelly layer to worry about either.

SERVES 10-12 PREP 45 mins plus cooling and at least 4 hrs chilling COOK 2 hrs 5 mins MORE EFFORT

8 rashers smoked streaky bacon,

finely chopped

600g boneless pork shoulder, rind removed, chopped into 1cm chunks (prepared weight) 400g sausagemeat

¼ whole nutmeg or ¼ tsp freshly

grated nutmeg

8 sage leaves, finely chopped 70g dried cranberries

70g dried apricots, chopped 100g shelled pistachios

For the hot water pastry

75g lard, chopped into small pieces 75g butter, chopped into

small pieces

550g plain flour

1 egg, beaten

1 Tip the bacon, pork and sausagemeat into a large bowl, then grate in the nutmeg and add the sage, cranberries, apricots, pistachios, 1/4 tsp salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix to combine, then cover and keep chilled while you make the pastry.

2 Tip the lard and butter into a small pan with 150ml water and bring to a simmer. Weigh the flour out in a heatproof bowl with 1/2 tsp salt. When the butter and lard have melted and the mixture is steaming, pour it over the flour and quickly mix to form a scraggy dough. Tip out onto a surface and knead briefly until smooth. Cut off a third, then wrap and set aside.

3 Roll the remaining pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift using a rolling pin and unroll into a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Press the pastry into the edge and up the side – don’t worry if it doesn’t reach the top, just press into an even layer and ensure there are no holes. 4 Spoon the filling into the pastry case and pack in with the back of the spoon to expel any air pockets. Mound it up in the centre to create a dome, leaving about 1cm of the pastry edge protruding.

5 Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness as before, then use a plate as a template to cut out a 20cm circle. You can either top the pie with the pastry lid as it is, or create a lattice effect. To do this, you will need to use a lattice cutter or ruler and knife. Hold the ruler over the pastry circle and, starting from the left or right side, cut 1cm vertical lines in the pastry going from top to bottom, leaving 1cm gaps between the incisions. After completing one line of cuts, move the ruler 1/2cm to the side and make another line of cuts. Continue all the way along the pastry. Gently tease the holes open with your fingers to create a webbed lattice effect, then use the same 20cm template to retrim the lid. Carefully lift it over the pie, folding over the excess pastry and crimping all the way around the edge to seal. Brush the pastry with some of the beaten egg. Re-roll any offcuts and use to decorate the pie, if you like (we cut out star shapes). Stick these on and brush with more beaten egg.

Will keep covered, uncooked, in the fridge for up to 24 hrs.

6 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Bake for 2 hrs until the pastry is deep golden brown. If you have a food thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 70C. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then chill for at least 4 hrs before serving. Will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days.

PER SERVING (12) 560 kcals • fat 30g • saturates 11g •

carbs 47g • sugars 8g • fibre 5g • protein 25g • salt 1.3g