Chicken & Ham Pie Recipe

Cut the leeks in half lengthways and clean thoroughly, then thinly slice into half moons. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, then scrape onto a plate and season really well with salt and pepper. Dice the cooked ham into 3cm pieces.

Heat a shot of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over a high heat and add the chicken thigh pieces. Fry for 4-5 mins, stirring every now and again until caramelised, then scoop out into a bowl.

Turn the heat to low-medium, add the butter and scrape in the leeks along with a big pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring regularly for 10 mins until soft. Scrape in the garlic and cook for 1 min before scattering in 50g flour and cooking for another 2 mins.

Pour in one-quarter of the milk while whisking. Let it amalgamate and come together before adding another one-quarter milk and repeating another 3 times. Stir in the mustard and crème fraîche, then add the ham and chicken back to the pan. Simmer for 5-10 mins until thickened. Season the sauce and stir through the peas. Leave to cool to room temperature, then chill until completely cold.

Make the pastry by tipping the flour into a food processor with a good pinch of salt. Cut the butter into 2cm cubes and tip into the food processor. Pulse together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and ½cm-big nubs of butter remain.

Add in half of the cold water and pulse again. It should come together as a dough, but if not add the remaining cold water and repeat until it does. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 2-3 mins until you have a smooth, even dough. Gather the pastry together and divide into a piece that uses roughly two-thirds and another that uses the remaining one-third. Form both pastry pieces into round discs, wrap and chill for at least 30 mins. You can make this ahead and keep in the fridge until needed.

Heat the oven to 180°C and put a heavy-bottomed baking tray in the oven to heat.

Remove the larger piece of pastry from the fridge and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out into a 40cm circle and use it to line the base and sides of a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin. This will leave a little overhang which will help you to seal the pie later.

Scrape all of the chilled chicken and ham mix into the pie case.

Beat the egg in a small bowl, then use a pastry brush to brush the rim of the pastry with the beaten egg.

Remove the remaining pastry disc from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured work surface until ½cm thick and a few cm bigger than the cake tin. Carefully lift on top of the pie, pressing gently to seal around the edge. Use a small knife to cut away any overhang. Crimp the edge of the pie, then use the small knife to make a 1cm hole in the very centre of the pie, to allow steam to escape. Brush the pie really well with beaten egg.

Put onto the pre-heated tray and into the oven for 40-45 mins until the pastry is deep golden in colour. Leave to cool for at least 30 mins (this will allow it to hold better), before removing it from the tin and cutting it into wedges.