Yorkshire Christmas Pie
A magnificent historic festive pie packed with layered turkey, duck, and spiced sausage meat, enclosed in a crisp hot water crust pastry.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 135 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 540 kcal
Equipment
- •20cm springform cake tin
- •saucepan
- •rolling pin
- •mixing bowl
- •pastry brush
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- fat
- 28 g
- carbs
- 38 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 34 g
- calories
- 540 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 20cm round springform cake tin.
- 2
In a mixing bowl, mix the sausage meat thoroughly with the cranberries, ground mace, and chopped thyme.
- 3
Melt the lard in the water with the salt in a saucepan over medium heat until boiling.
- 4
Pour the hot liquid immediately into the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon into a soft dough.
- 5
Knead the warm dough briefly, cut off one-quarter for the lid, and press the rest evenly into the tin.
- 6
Layer half the seasoned sausage meat into the pastry base, pressing it down firmly.
- 7
Layer the turkey and duck strips alternately across the middle, then top with the remaining sausage meat.
- 8
Roll out the reserved pastry, brush the rim with water, fit the lid, and crimp (pinch the pastry edge) to seal.
- 9
Cut a small steam hole in the centre, brush with beaten egg, and bake for 90 minutes until golden.
- 10
Cool the pie completely, then slowly pour the warm gelatine stock into the steam hole and chill for 4 hours.
Chef's tips
Work quickly with the hot water crust dough while it is still warm, as it becomes crumbly when cold. Ensure the pie is completely cold before pouring in the stock jelly so the pastry remains crisp.
Ingredient substitutions
- duck breast → pheasant breast or boneless chicken thighs
- lard → vegetable shortening or unsalted butter
Storage
Store wrapped in greaseproof paper in the fridge for up to four days.
Reheating
Serve cold or at room temperature; do not reheat as the internal savoury jelly will melt.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Letting the pastry dough cool completely before lining the tin, causing it to crack.
- •Pouring warm stock jelly into a hot pie, which melts the fat and makes the base soggy.
- •Leaving large gaps between meat layers, which creates air pockets instead of solid jelly.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Yorkshire Christmas Pie?
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