London Pie and Mash
A classic East End minced beef pie with a suet pastry base and flaky lid, served alongside creamy mashed potato and vibrant parsley liquor.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 780 kcal
Equipment
- •4 individual pie tins
- •Saucepan
- •Baking tray
- •Potato masher
- •Rolling pin
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- fat
- 40 g
- carbs
- 72 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 34 g
- calories
- 780 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Fry the minced beef and diced onion in a saucepan over medium heat for 6 minutes until browned.
- 2
Pour in the beef stock, season with half the white pepper and salt, then simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
- 3
Mix the suet, 200g plain flour, and a pinch of salt with 120ml cold water to form a soft dough.
- 4
Roll out the suet pastry on a floured surface and line four individual greased pie tins.
- 5
Spoon the cooled minced beef filling evenly into the pastry-lined tins.
- 6
Cut rounds of puff pastry to cover each tin, dampen the rims with water, and press edges to seal.
- 7
Bake the pies on a baking tray at 200°C (180°C fan) for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.
- 8
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until tender, then drain and mash with butter and milk.
- 9
Whisk 25g flour into a splash of cold stock, then pour into the simmering remaining stock on the hob.
- 10
Stir the chopped parsley, vinegar, and remaining white pepper into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
- 11
Turn out each hot pie onto a plate with a scoop of mash and ladle green liquor over the top.
Chef's tips
Allow the beef filling to cool slightly before filling the pies so the pastry bases do not become soggy. Ground white pepper is crucial for that distinct London pie shop flavour. For a truly authentic finish, serve with a bottle of malt vinegar infused with bird's eye chillies.
Ingredient substitutions
- shredded beef suet → vegetable suet or shortcrust pastry
- Maris Piper potatoes → King Edward or Russet potatoes
- vegetable stock → mild fish stock or traditional jellied eel liquor
Storage
Store cooled leftover pies, mash, and liquor in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat pies on a baking tray at 180°C (160°C fan) for 15 minutes until crisp, and gently warm the mash and liquor on the hob.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using gravy instead of genuine green parsley liquor, which ruins the authentic flavour profile.
- •Making the mashed potato too runny, which stops it holding up under the hot liquor.
- •Failing to press the pastry edges together securely, causing the gravy filling to bubble out during baking.
Serving suggestions
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