Ceredigion Gooseberry Pie
A classic West Wales double-crust pie filled with tart garden gooseberries and baked in crisp, buttery pastry until bubbling and golden.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 395 kcal
Equipment
- •22 cm pie dish
- •Rolling pin
- •Mixing bowl
- •Pastry brush
- •Baking tray
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 395 kcal
- fat
- 18 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 4 g
- calories
- 395 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Rub the chilled butter and shortening into the plain flour and salt until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- 2
Add cold water gradually and bring together with your hands into a smooth dough ball.
- 3
Wrap the pastry in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 4
Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and place a baking tray inside to heat up.
- 5
Toss the prepared gooseberries with caster sugar, cornflour, and elderflower cordial in a mixing bowl.
- 6
Roll out two-thirds of the pastry on a floured surface and line a 22 cm pie dish.
- 7
Spoon the gooseberry mixture into the pastry case, mounding slightly towards the centre.
- 8
Roll out the remaining pastry, lay it over the fruit, and crimp the edges firmly to seal.
- 9
Cut two small steam slits in the lid, brush with milk, and scatter with demerara sugar.
- 10
Bake on the preheated tray for 40 to 45 minutes until the pastry is golden and juices bubble.
Chef's tips
Preheating the baking tray in the oven ensures the base of the pie bakes crisp without becoming soggy. Top and tail gooseberries quickly using kitchen scissors. If your gooseberries are very ripe and red rather than green, reduce the caster sugar by 20 g.
Ingredient substitutions
- fresh gooseberries → frozen gooseberries, thawed and well-drained
- elderflower cordial → finely grated zest of half a lemon
- vegetable shortening → an equal weight of cold unsalted butter
Storage
Store leftover pie covered in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat slices in a 170°C oven for 10 minutes to crisp the crust.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Skipping the cornflour, which leaves the pie filling watery and the pastry soggy.
- •Not sealing the edges tightly, causing fruit juices to leak out and burn during baking.
- •Handling the pastry dough too long, resulting in a tough rather than crumbly crust.
Serving suggestions
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