Pork Pie with Black Pudding and Apple

Once upon a time every butcher in England made their own pork pies and many won awards for them.

Unfortunately, a combination of supermarket-power and Eureaupratic red tape have all but killed the art of making things like pork pie and black pudding. The butchers that haven't been pounded out of business tend to buy their pies from elsewhere which wouldn't be a problem if they weren't so soggy, grey and generally pants. Now is the time to have a crack at making your own, you may be suprised at how easy it actually is.

Pre-heat your oven to 190°C.

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:
450g plain flour
175g lard
200ml cold water
a pinch of salt
1 egg yolk mixed with a tspn of water - to glaze the pies

For the filling:
300g pork shoulder
50g streaky bacon
50g belly pork
170g black pudding - finely diced
1 apple - peeled and diced
pinch of allspice
1 tspn of chopped sage
a good pinch of salt
2 pinches of ground white pepper

Method:

1. The filling: Coarsely mince the pork shoulder, belly and streaky bacon (Your butcher will do this if you ask him nicely). Place the meats in a bowl, add the other filling ingredients and mix well. Divide into four balls and set aside.

2. The pastry: Place the flour in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt. Bring the water and lard to the boil, pour it onto the flour and mix to a smooth dough. Divide into four balls.

3. Lightly flour a clean workbench and roll out the dough to no more than ½cm thick. Place the pork mix in the centre of each and gather up the edges, pinching together where the pastry meets at the top. Use scissors to remove any excess pastry, but leave a 1cm high 'frill'.

4. Place the pies onto a non-stick tray and brush with the egg yolk.

5. Using a skewer, poke a hole in the top of the pies, right in the middle of the frill. This will let the steam escape and help keep the pastry crisp.

6. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40 minutes until crisp and deep-golden.