Lamb Pie for British Pie Week

We all love a good hearty pie. It is such a fantastic winter meal that is a true comforting dish. This week is British Pie Week so it really would be rude not to celebrate with a pie!

When it came to deciding which type of pie to make I knew that I would find the perfect ingredients at Aldi. While I was shopping last week I saw some lovely lamb leg steaks that were so lean I could not resist. Lamb is a meat that we all enjoy but I simply do not use it as often as beef and chicken. Lamb can often be a more expensive meat and people often rave about New Zealand lamb but, personally, I prefer British lamb. Aldi stock 100% British lamb that carries the trusted red tractor logo and is at a fantastic price! When we buy British meat we are not only helping our economy but we are also reducing our carbon foot print and helping the environment!

The filling in today's pie recipe has been slow cooked so it really is full of flavour and the meat was so tender it literally fell apart. I have also used a rich pastry using eggs as I prefer the richer flavour and the golden colour you get as it bakes.

This is what I did...

Steak Pie

Who doesn't love a good pie? Pie has to be one of the best comfort foods and it is one of my hubby's favourite meals. I know that pie is a perfect winter time meal but we also enjoy pies as an alternative to a Sunday roast. The recipe that I am sharing with you today is what I made on Father's Day.

The five ingredients, pictured above, combine together to make a truly delicious pie filling. I recently discovered that Aldi stock some fantastic mixed herb grinder pots from Stonemill. For this recipe I have used the garlic, herb and tomato seasoning grinder. These little, full of flavour, pots are an ideal way to add extra flavours to your dishes in a perfectly balanced way.

Slow cooking the pie filling in either a slow cooker or in the oven as I did leaves you with lovely tender meat and you can prepare it and leave it to cook while you spend time with your family.

This is what I did...

Vale of Mowbray Pork Pie

If there is one food that needs to be included in a buffet is a good pork pie. But only the best, traditional pork pie will do. Vale of Mowbray bake only traditional pork pie, the way they have always been made. They way they have been made since 1928. Vale of Mowbray have been baking and brewing food for over two centuries, but over the last 86 years they have stopped brewing to achieve the perfect bake.

Organic Mince Beef Pie

This month is Organic September!

I have been challenged to create a meal using just organic ingredients and to show you that not all organic ingredients are expensive.

Eating organic can be done cheaper than you may think.

Now that the weather is turning more autumnal I am steering more towards some good old comfort meals of pies and slow cooker meals. 

So I have decided to make an organic meat pie.

Every single ingredient is organic and when I was shopping I was amazed by how it was not as expensive as I thought it would be. I even discovered that there were some organic products that were actually cheaper than the regular ones!

Organic foods are not just fresh foods. In this recipe I have also used organic flour, frozen peas and stock.

This is what I did...

Leftover Roast Beef Pie

This pie is a delicious way to use up any leftover beef from a roast dinner. I always find that when roast beef is recooked in a different dish the flavours develop even more and make the meat even tastier!

This dish is not only great for leftovers but is also an easy meal to make. Even if you do not have a lot of beef left to use you can bulk it out with extra vegetables. I have made my own pastry but you can always use pre made which can be a lot easier if you are preparing this meal on a busy day!

This is what I did...

Buffalo Steak Pie for #NationalPieWeek - Family Favourites

This week it is National Pie Week so naturally I had to bake a pie! We all love a good old pie but it is not a meal that is cooked enough.

Pies are a great and tasty way of adding more vegetables to your families diets. It can be chopped into small pieces and with the gravy, meat and pastry even the fussiest of eaters will enjoy it!

This week I decided to make a pie that was a little bit different. This week I am using buffalo steak. Buffalo steak is a meat which is becoming more and more popular in the UK.

You will know that I am currently on a health kick and trying to loose weight. This pie is my healthier version. Instead of using a pastry base and top I have used pastry discs as a topping on a meat base. This enabled me to enjoy the pastry but not have too much!

This is what I did...

Buffalo Steak Pie

Ingredients

400g Buffalo stewing steak, diced
2 medium/large carrots, halved and sliced
2 medium parsnips, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, halved and sliced
1 beef stock cube
200g gluten free pastry
100g butter, cubed
5tbsp cold water
1 egg

Method

1 - Place the buffalo steak, carrots, parsnips, onion and leek in a slow cooker

2 - Crumble over the beef stock cube and pour over 500mls of hot water. Cook for 4 hours on the high slow cooker setting.

3 - To make the pastry place the flour and butter in a bowl and rub until you have a breadcrumb consistency

4 - Add the water and quickly bring all the ingredients together, wrap in cling and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

5 - Pre heat the oven to 200C

6 - Once the meat is cooked place in a pie dish

7 - Roll out the pastry and using a circular cutter cut out pastry discs and arrange on top of the meat and brush with an egg wash

8 - Place the pie in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until the pastry is browned

This meal is a perfect way to enjoy a pie with a little less guilt! It goes perfectly with mashed potatoes and vegetables. With the leftover juices in the slow cooker add a little boiling water with a few gravy granules to create a tasty gravy.

Slow cooking the meat with the root vegetables add a rich sweetness that adds even more flavours to this dish.

A perfect meal for National Pie Week!

Enjoy x

Cheap Budget Meals Becomes Family Favourites

After writing Cheap Budget Meals for 6 months I have decided to transform it to a new weekly post called Family Favourites.

These are going to be a mixture of meals. Ones which are cheap and within budget but will also include more indulgent, treat meals.

These are meals, dishes and desserts which are my family's favourite and I am sure you and your family will love them too!

This week I am sharing an easy flaky pastry lunch time pie. These little packages are great for the kids at home to have warm and are just as good the following day for the bigger kids to take in their packed lunch.

Flaky Pastry Potato Parcels

Ingredients

225g plain flour
Pinch of salt
87g lard, cubed
88g butter, cubed
100mls cold water (approx)
1 egg
3 potatoes, cubed
2tspn butter
50mls milk
50g mature cheddar cheese, cubed
50g mixed peas, sweetcorn and carrots

Method

1 - Prepare the pastry by rubbing in 1 quarter of the fats into the flour and salt

2 - Once you have a breadcrumb consistency gradually add the water a little at a time until you have a rough dough

3 - Line the worktop with clingfilm to prevent sticking and roll out the pastry into a rectangular shape

4 - Add a layer of the fats with 1 quarter of the fats

5 - Fold the bottom third up and the top third down, turn 90 degrees and roll out again, repeat the folds, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 minutes

6 - Place the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes

7  - Remove the pastry, add the third quarter of the fats and repeat the folding process in step 5

8 - Wrap in cling film and return to the fridge for 20 minutes

9 - Once the potatoes are soft, drain and mash

10 - Mix in the butter, milk, peas, carrots, sweetcorn and cheese

11 - Place the potato mixture into a bowl and allow to cool

12 - Remove  the pastry from the fridge and layer the final quarter of fats, fold, roll out, fold again and return to the fridge for a final 20 minutes

13 - Pre heat the oven to 180C fan

14 - Roll out the pastry and cut out an even number of discs, one will be the base and the other the top

15 - Place a spoon full of the potato mixture onto the centre of the base discs of the pastry

16 - Place the top disc on top of the potato base and pinch in the edges

17 - Place the pies onto a lined baking tray, brush with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes or until brown and crispy

Enjoy x

I am sharing my first Family Favourites recipe with

A Mummy Too - Recipe of the Week
Honest Mum - Tasty Tuesdays

Cheap Budget Meals - Classic Mince Beef Pie

Last week it was Pie week, so of course I had to made a pie. As I was making it I realised that this is on of my best budget meals and I knew I had to share it with you this week.

This pie is a deliciously tasty, cheap pie to make and here is always some left over for the next day.
The beauty of a beef pie is that you can adjust to taste or to what food you have that may need using up.

I have found that it is better to buy meat from the local market. It is not only better value for money but also better quality.

When buying for your store cupboard go for the "value" alternatives. Both plain and self raising flour is just as good and a fraction of the cost of supermarket regular ones or branded ones. I always make sure I have flour in the cupboard!

Here is this weeks cheap budget meal recipe...

Classic Mince Beef Pie

Ingredients

Pastry

200g plain flour
100g butter
60mls cold water
1 egg

Filling

1 onion, chopped (16p)
3 carrots, sliced and halved (25p)
250g mushrooms, chopped (75p)
400g mince beef (£2. - I buy 1kg of minced steak from the market for £5)
300mls beef stock
Worcester sauce, optional
1tsp mixed herbs
1 - 2tsp gravy granules
Potatoes (50p)
Broccoli (49p)

Method

Pre heat the oven to 200C

1 - To make the pastry place the butter and flour into a food processor and blitz until you have a breadcrumb texture

2 - Gradually add the water until you have a rough dough

3 - Remove the pastry dough and work into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge whilst you make the pie filling

4 - Place the beef and onions in a pan and dry fry until browned off

5 - Add the mushrooms and carrots, cook for a couple of minutes

6 - Add the beef stock, herbs and Worcester sauce if using, bring to the boil and then simmer until the meat is cooked through and the carrots are soft

7 - Once the filling is cooked add the gravy granules to thicken the sauce

8 - Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before placing in a pie dish

9 - Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a well floured worktop

10 - Lay the pastry over the filling, cutting off any excess pastry and pinching around the edges to seal

11 - Cut an air hole in the centre of the pie, decorate if you wish with any of the left over pastry (I like a leaf design) and brush with the egg wash

12 - Place in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until your pastry is golden brown

This pie can be served with any vegetables to taste. I served ours with steamed potatoes and broccoli.
This meal cost me £4.15 to make as I used items out of my store cupboard.

We got 3 portions for our evening meal, lunch for the twins the following day and a leftovers meal for Joseph the following evening!

That works out at 83p per serving (counting the twins as 1 serving!) and you have got a well balanced meal that has been freshly made and has some of your 5 a day servings!

Enjoy x

 

I am sharing my cheap, budget recipe with Gina at Cold Tea and Smelly Nappies and the Thrifty Thursday linky. This week you can find the top 5 places to find second hand children's clothes at Thrifty Thursday