The Pie Life

Bel & The Dragon delight in a good pie recipe and our Sustainable Fish Pie with Sorrel & Petits Pois and Duck Shepherd’s Pie with Sundried Tomatoes & Confit Garlic often feature on our menu. What’s more, British Pie Week has inspired me to create another celebratory dish. Who could fail to enjoy a harmonious combination of Chicken & Leek enveloped in a delicious, savoury sauce underneath a crisp melt-in-your-mouth layer of puff pastry crust? Our Chicken & Leek Pie with Spring Onion, Chopped Chives & Black Pepper is incredibly easy to prepare. The secret to its success is simple, quality ingredients. Good chicken is a must. Poached in a thyme, rosemary & bay infused stock until tender, the strained liquid is then used to make a delicious herby sauce. The result is heavenly hearty & fabulously flavoursome – and after baking for 40 minutes in an 180C oven, it will have a gloriously golden top. Serves Four

• 4 Chicken Legs
• 16g Sea Salt
• 2g Black Peppercorns
• 2g Rosemary & Thyme (sprigs)
• 4g Thyme (chopped)
• 6g Chives & Parsley (chopped)
• 1 Bunch Spring Onions
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 160g Carrots (diced)
• 80g Celery (chopped)
• 1 Onion (diced)
• 1 Celery Stick (chopped)
• 1 Leek (sliced)
• 60g Butter
• 60g Plain Flour
• 1 Garlic Clove
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Place 1000ml cold water in a large pot, add the salt, pepper, thyme & rosemary followed by the chicken legs and leave somewhere cool to infuse overnight. Transfer the chicken legs and aromatics to a stock pot and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, removing any residue that forms on the surface, add the chopped carrots, celery & leeks and simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken & vegetables are tender. Once cool, the meat should easily fall away from the bone. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the diced onion, celery, garlic and thyme and saute until the onion is opaque. Add the flour to make a roux then slowly add the stock followed by the chicken and cook for a further 15 minutes. Season to taste and add the chopped spring onions, chives & parsley to finish. Transfer to individual pie dishes and top with a layer of puff pastry. Pre-heat the oven to 180C and bake for 40 minutes until golden & crisp.