RAISED CHICKEN AND HAM PIE

Heat oven to 200C (gas 7)

Preheat oven to 200°c/gas mark 6.

Grease the base and sides of a 900g/2lb loaf tin with lard and line with baking parchment.

For the filling. Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and bring to boil and cook for 8 minutes, then drain and plunge into cold water. Set aside until cooled, then peel. Trim the white from the ends of each egg until the yolk is showing.

Mix the sausage meat, thyme and lemon zest in a large bowl and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Cover and set aside until needed.

For the hot water pastry sift the flower into a bowl. Put the water into a saucepan, add the lard and the salt and bring to the boil, boiling until the lard has melted. Gradually add the boiling water mixture to the flour mixing well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together as a dough. Kneed the dough in the bowl until it becomes smooth and pliant. Cut one third off the dough, wrap in cling film and set aside to use as the lid.

Turn out the rest of the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a thin rectangle large enough to line the whole inside of the tin and reach over the edge slightly . Line the tin with the pastry pushing it into the corners and leaving a little hanging over the edge.

Using your hands press one third (5oz) of the sausage meat onto the base of the tin. Put half the pickled walnuts down the middle the arrange half the chicken strips down each side and season to taste. Spread a thin layer 75g/3oz of sausage meat on the top of the chicken and walnuts the arrange the egg end to end down the middle of the tin, pushing them slightly into the sausage meat. Cover the eggs with another 75g/3oz of sausage meat. Arrange the strips of ham on top across the length of the tin.

Cover the ham with another layer 75g/3oz of sausage meat the sprinkle the remaining pickled walnuts over the top. Arrange the remaining chicken strips on top then cover with the remaining sausage meat, pressing down firmly to ensure the pie doesn’t crumble when cut.

Brush the overhanging pastry with the beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry and place over the pie pushing down on the edges to seal. Make a small slit in the top of the pastry and brush with the remaining beaten egg. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown the reduce the heat to 180°c/gas mark4 and bake for 1 hour or until pastry is a deep golden brown on top and the filling is cooked. Allow the pie to cool completely before removing from the tin.