Cardiff Bakery Meat Pie
A classic Welsh capital bakery staple, packed with deeply savoury minced beef, onions, and rich gravy inside crisp, golden shortcrust pastry.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 510 kcal
Equipment
- •Frying pan
- •Individual pie tins or 10cm tartlet tins
- •Rolling pin
- •Pastry brush
- •Baking tray
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 510 kcal
- fat
- 25 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 2.5 g
- protein
- 26 g
- calories
- 510 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Rub the plain flour, butter, lard, and a pinch of salt together in a bowl until breadcrumbs form.
- 2
Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water gradually and bring the mixture together into a smooth dough.
- 3
Wrap the dough and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 4
Fry the minced beef and onion in a frying pan over medium heat for 8 minutes until browned.
- 5
Pour in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper, then simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- 6
Stir in the cornflour slurry and cook for 2 minutes until the gravy is thick, then let it cool completely.
- 7
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and lightly grease four 10cm pie tins.
- 8
Roll two-thirds of the pastry on a floured surface to 3mm thickness and line the pie tins.
- 9
Divide the cooled meat filling evenly between the pastry cases.
- 10
Roll out the remaining pastry, cut into four lids, brush the rim edges with beaten egg, and seal firmly.
- 11
Trim excess pastry, crimp the edges, pierce a small hole in each lid, and brush tops with egg glaze.
- 12
Bake on a baking tray for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden and crisp.
Chef's tips
Always allow the meat filling to cool completely before filling the pastry to avoid a soggy bottom. The black pepper is key to the bakery flavour, so do not skimp on it. A mix of lard and butter gives the crust the authentic crispness required for a handheld pie.
Ingredient substitutions
- lard → all butter or vegetable shortening
- minced beef → minced lamb or plant-based mince
Storage
Store cooled pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat on a baking tray at 180°C (160°C fan) for 15 minutes until piping hot and crisp.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Filling the pastry with hot meat, which melts the fat and makes the base soggy.
- •Making the gravy too thin, which causes the pastry to burst and leak in the oven.
- •Failing to seal the edges firmly, leading to escaping juices during baking.
Serving suggestions
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