Wild Mushroom, Cranberry & Chestnut Pies

Makes 6

Rich and flavoursome pies, filled to the brim with thyme-fried wild mushrooms, port-soaked cranberries and sweet chestnuts, encased in cranberry-sauce lined puff pastry.

• 40g (1.4 oz) dried porcini mushrooms

• 200ml (6.7 fl oz) vegetable stock

• 50g (1.7 oz) dried cranberries

• 50ml (1 .6 fl oz) port

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 tsp fresh thyme leaves

• 300g (10.5 oz) mixed baby mushrooms, sliced

• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 100g (3.5 oz) peeled and cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

• 300g (10.5 oz) cranberry sauce

• 2 packs of puff pastry (750g/1.6 lb), ready rolled

• For glazing — dairy free milk

• For decoration — a mixture of sesame and poppy seeds

1 Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in the hot vegetable stock for 30 minutes.

2 Microwave the cranberries in the port for around 1 minute 40 seconds (at 900W) until the cranberries have soaked up all of the port and are nice and juicy. Set aside to cool.

3 Once the porcini mushrooms have rehydrated, you’re ready to start cooking your pie filling. If the porcini mushrooms are large you may want to cut them up roughly before you start (but reserve the water).

4 Using a good-sized frying pan (at least 30cm), fry the onion, garlic and thyme leaves in the olive oil for 3 minutes.

5 Add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms including their soaking water, fresh mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce. The fresh mushrooms will release some water whilst cooking; cook until the all of the liquid has evaporated, which will be around 15 minutes on a medium-high heat. Set aside to cool. 6 Once the mushroom mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the port-soaked cranberries, chestnuts and chopped parsley. Season to taste.

7 Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 and line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

8 Using your ready rolled puff pastry cut out 12 x 12cm circles. Spread a heaped teaspoon of cranberry sauce on each of the 12 pastry circles, leaving a clean 1cm border of around the edge.

9 Add 2 tbsp of the mushroom mixture into the centre of one of your pastry circles, on top of the cranberry sauce. Repeat this so that you have six with filling.

10 Take each of the six remaining pastry circles, flip them over so the cranberry sauce is underneath and place them on top of the filling to create the pie lid.

11 Using a fork, press around the edge of each of the pies to seal them. Brush with dairy free milk and decorate by scoring the pies and sprinkling with seeds. Stab them with a fork or knife a couple of times to create small air holes.

12 Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Recipe by Tara of A Vegan Visit, aveganvisit.com, @aveganvisit