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Celebrate British Pie Week with Demuths

The pie is loved by so many in Britain. With figures showing a massive 75 per cent of people in the UK eat pie at least once a month, it would only be the correct thing to do than to devote an entire revolving around the delicious delicacy.

This year British Pie Week runs from March 7-13 and Demuths Cookery School is ready to tell you all of their tips to help you make the perfect pie to mark the occasion!

A good pie always requires good pastry, and one of the most commonly asked questions at Demuths is how to make pastry that doesn’t fall apart and crumble.

According to Rachel Demuth who runs the cookery school the secret is to make it by hand in small batches. Pastry novices should start with shortcrust pastry as it’s the easiest and the most versatile – make it plain for savoury pies or add some sugar for sweet options.

Don’t worry if you haven’t got time to make your own pastry though – there’s plenty of ready-made options available in supermarkets.

Once you have the pastry sorted it’s time to choose your filling.

Rachel said: “It’s always better to use whatever ingredients are in season.

“I’d also recommend steaming or roasting your vegetables until they are just cooked before you put them in the pie. With roasted vegetables the filling can be quite dry so add some liquid such as a white sauce, cream or alcohol.

“For texture and protein try adding pulses such as Puy lentils, butter beans or chickpeas, and experiment with different herbs and spices to change the flavours.

“You can also try adding different cheeses such as feta, Brie, Cheddar, blue cheese or goats cheese.

“The great thing about pie fillings is that you can be really creative!”

Top tips for pastry:

Before you start

Keep cool! Use butter (preferably unsalted) straight from the fridge. Cut it into small cubes then put it back into the fridge. Make sure your mixing bowl is cold too.

Making the dough

Make sure your hands are as cool as possible. Try running them under the cold tap first.

Work as quickly as possible – the longer you take rubbing in the flour and butter the warmer it will get. When it’s time to add the water to roll the pastry into a ball, make sure it’s very cold.

Resting and rolling

Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This is important as it will give the gluten time to relax. If the pasty isn’t rested long enough it will shrink and be tough.

When you’re ready to roll then choose a cool surface. Marble is best but granite and stainless steel work well too. Once it’s rolled and in the pie case chill again to stop the pastry shrinking.