SARAH RAVEN’S RAISED GAME PIE

Taken from Sarah Raven’s Food for Friends & Family, available from www.sarahraven.com, £30; photography ©Jonathan Buckley

Serves 8-10

200g lean pork mince

200g unsmoked streaky bacon, chopped

350g pheasant breast, diced

60g dried apricots

60g dried cranberries

1 onion, grated

1 tsp ground mace

2-3 tsp flaky sea salt

Black pepper

1 egg, beaten

300ml chicken stock

Large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tsp powdered gelatine

For the pastry

330g plain flour

1/3 tsp salt 100g lard

24cm x 14cm loaf tin, lightly greased

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°f/ Gas Mark 4.

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Heat the lard and 140ml water in a saucepan. Once the lard has melted, bring to the boil. Pour the mixture onto the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to form a soft dough. When cool enough to handle, turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth; it will feel like warm Play-doh.

Break off a quarter of the dough and set aside for the lid. Roll out the remaining pastry to a thickness of about 5mm and use to line the tin. Use your fingers to work the pastry up the sides until there is a 5mm collar standing proud of the tin.

Put all the meat, fruit, onion, mace and salt into a bowl and mix well with the pepper. Spoon into lined tin.

Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the top. Lay it over the tin, pinching the edges together with the collar. Cut a small hole in the middle and bake for one hour. Brush with beaten egg and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes. Take out and cool for 30 minutes.

Put the chicken stock into a saucepan with the parsley and sprinkle the gelatine on the surface. Whisk to incorporate. Heat slowly until the gelatine has dissolved.

Slowly pour the stock mixture through the hole in the top of the pie – as much as it will take. Chill the pie until firm, preferably overnight, before turning out of the tin.