Northamptonshire Pork and Apple Pie
Tender pork shoulder and tart cooking apples simmered in dry cider beneath a crisp, golden shortcrust pastry lid.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 620 kcal
Equipment
- •large frying pan
- •1.2-litre pie dish
- •pastry brush
- •wooden spoon
- •sharp knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- fat
- 33 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 34 g
- calories
- 620 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium hob heat.
- 2
Add the diced pork and brown on all sides for five minutes, then transfer to a plate.
- 3
Fry the chopped onion in the same pan for four minutes until soft and translucent.
- 4
Stir in the plain flour and chopped sage, cooking for one minute to coat the onions.
- 5
Pour in the dry cider and chicken stock, scraping up any caramelised bits from the base.
- 6
Return the pork to the pan, season with salt and black pepper, and simmer gently for fifteen minutes.
- 7
Tip the pork mixture and sliced Bramley apple into a deep 1.2-litre pie dish and leave to cool slightly.
- 8
Unroll the shortcrust pastry over the dish, trim the excess, and crimp (fold and pinch) the edges to seal.
- 9
Cut a small steam hole in the centre and brush the top evenly with beaten egg.
- 10
Bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for thirty minutes until the pastry is crisp and deep golden brown.
Chef's tips
Allow the pork filling to cool for ten minutes before topping with pastry so the butter in the crust does not melt prematurely. Bramley apples break down into a luscious sauce, but you can use Cox eating apples if you prefer firmer chunks.
Ingredient substitutions
- dry English cider → cloudy apple juice with a splash of cider vinegar
- ready-rolled shortcrust pastry → all-butter puff pastry
- fresh sage → 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
Storage
Store leftover cooled pie covered in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat pie slices on a baking tray in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) for fifteen minutes until hot throughout.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Putting raw pastry over piping hot filling, which makes the base soggy.
- •Forgetting to cut a steam vent, causing gravy to burst through the pastry edges.
- •Slicing the apples too thinly, which makes them dissolve entirely into the gravy.
Serving suggestions
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