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Who ate all the Pies? British Pie Week & my Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

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Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

Who ate all the Pies?

British Pie Week

Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

I am a pie lover, no, I REALLY mean I LOVE pies! I love making them, creating new recipes, eating them and reading about them. I am quite simple a Pie Fanatic. So, when I saw that next week was British Pie Week, I got all in a flutter….I know that British Pie Week is hosted by a commercial company, Jus-Rol, the frozen and ready-made pastry people, but I am still embracing this week with gusto. Actually, I rather like Jus-Rol products, and I buy their flaky pastry regularly, however, when it comes to shortcrust pastry, I always make my own – and I am rather pleased to say that my shortcrust is pretty damn good! My mum taught me how to make pastry when was I was quite small, and I have never forgotten her tips for perfect pastry, such as not handling the pastry too much and to add the water bit by bit as not to get a sloppy, rubbery mess, subsequently my pastry is always light and flaky and very short.

Ready for the oven, my Egg and Bacon Pie, all glazed and ready to bake

I could have shared all sorts of posh pies with you on this inaugural “British Pie Week” day, but, this was a request by a friend who came to dinner yesterday, and so the humble egg and bacon pie it is for day one. Actually, I don’t think of this pie as being that humble in reality; it is made with my chicken’s free range eggs (hence the rich golden glaze) and dry cure Yorkshire smoked bacon, and my home-made pastry of course. I sometimes add a few herbs but with such great ingredients, the herbs are not really needed. This is such an easy and simple recipe to make, and yet the result is a pie full of flavour,  a real British classic. You will find this pie on many a “caff’s” menu, and it is prefect for lunch, afternoon tea, supper, as a snack, for a picnic, in a lunch box and I am also suggesting this recipe would be great for Brunch as well.  This is another recipe from my maternal grandmother and I can still remember this pie gracing her tea time table when I was little. This can be made ahead and freezes beautifully – defrost overnight, on a cooling rack so the pastry does not get a soggy bottom.

Cut and come again…..Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

Basic Shortcrust Pastry

Print recipe
Basic Shortcrust Pastry
Serves 340g (12 ounces)
Prep time 45 minutes
Dietary Vegetarian
Meal type Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Region British
By author Karen S Burns-Booth
Basic Shortcrust Pastry - my mum's recipe for shortcrust pastry which uses SR flour and not plain flour for a lovely light texture!

Ingredients

  • 340g SR flour (12 ozs)
  • 160g butter (6 ozs)
  • cold water (to mix, about 30ml)
  • pinch of salt

Note

Basic Shortcrust Pastry - my mum's recipe for shortcrust pastry which uses SR flour and not plain flour for a lovely light texture!

Directions

Step 1 Mix flour and salt in basin, rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Step 2 Using a knife to cut and stir, mix with cold water to form a stiff dough. Do not over mix, light of hand is best. Allow pastry dough to chill and "relax" for 30 minutes, in a fridge or a cool place, cover the bowl or put the pastry in some cling film.
Step 3 Turn dough on to a floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out and use as required.

Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

Print recipe
Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie
Serves 6
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 40 minutes
Total time 55 minutes
Allergy Egg, Wheat
Meal type Lunch, Main Dish, Snack
Misc Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Region British
By author Karen S Burns-Booth
This is such an easy and simple recipe to make, and yet the result is full of flavour, tasty and a real British classic. You will find this pie on the menu in Britain for lunch, afternoon tea, supper, as a snack, for a picnic, in a lunch box and I am also suggesting this recipe would be great for Brunch as well.

Ingredients

  • 250g smoked streaky bacon (cut into small pieces)
  • 4 large free-range eggs
  • salt and black pepper (to taset)
  • 340g ready-made shortcrust pastry (12 ounces)
  • eggs and milk (for glaze)

Optional

  • 1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs (dried or fresh, if using fresh use 1 tablespoon)

Note

Can be frozen for up to 1 month after being baked - defrost overnight on a cooling tray or rack. Can be re-heated in a slow oven if required.

Directions

Step 1 Heat oven to 190ºC, 370ºF, Gas Mark 5. Grease a 20 cm (8 inch) ovenproof plate or pie dish.
Step 2 Divide the pre-prepared shortcrust pastry into two halves, roll out one half and line the plate.
Step 3 Grill or fry bacon until crisp - drain off the fat. Add bacon to the beaten eggs along with the seasoning and herbs if using.
Step 4 Pour egg and bacon mixture onto pastry base, dampen edges and cover with the second round of pastry. Seal edges and decorate with pastry leaves. Make a hole in the centre and brush with beaten egg and milk.
Step 5 Bake for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

If you want to know more about British Pie Week, there is a fun and informative website here: British Pie Week and the site also has some recipe ideas for pies too. Sunday’s Pie was a Cumberland Tattie Pot, which looked very tasty and was the winning pie for 2011:

The winning pie for 2012 was Wheatley House Pie, which is a pheasant pie with junipers, looks and sounds wonderful!

Please note, this recipe, Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie, has no spices in it – although I have suggested optional dried herbs. It is a classic, simple British recipe, where good free range eggs and dry cure bacon are the leading lights, along with crisp, shortcrust pastry……..spices would just mask the lovely flavours. That’s all for today, I will be posting more pie recipes throughout the week, as well as some more violet recipes and a special cake for Mothering Sunday……it will be busy week again! Bye for now, and see you later……Karen

Pastry Art! Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie

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Comments

  1. Dominic says

    I too am a HUGE lover of pie… our local pub entered a ‘best pub pie’ competition recently and came very close to winning… god… anything wrapped in pastry is good for me but I good pie is hard to beat… love the look of yours.. love the bacon and egg aspect, very very tasty!

    Reply

    • Karen says

      Thanks Dom, I ADORE pies and this was a cracking one, simple but very tasty! I would love to enter into a Pub pie event…..may look out for them in my area of North Yorkshire.

      Reply

  3. Mary says

    I do love a great pie – wow these are wonderful – I think I would have to go for the Egg and bacon one!!! divine!!
    Mary xox

    Reply

  4. Lucy says

    This looks delicious. I have never tried one but hopefully aim to resolve that by the end of the week. Perfect for my ‘Pie Day Friday’ adventures. 😉

    Reply

  5. Marie says

    Karen if I ate like you, I’d be as big as a barn! Wait . . . I already am. There is no hope for me. This pie looks lovely. I only dare look.

    Reply

  6. laura@howtocookgoodfood says

    I could just do with some of this egg & bacon pie now. I know your pastry will be so light and short, melt in the mouth heaven! A perfect dish to cook up for friends plus my children would adore it too! xx

    Reply

  7. Javelin Warrior says

    Karen, I’ve never seen a egg/bacon pie before, but it sounds like a scrumptious excuse to eat eggs, bacon and pastry! I would never protest and I love the decorative extras you’ve given the pie’s top crust…

    Reply

    • Karen says

      Thanks Heather – the trick is to use half white vegetable fat for short crust and butter for flavour; make sure you add salt and always handle the pastry as LITTLE as possible, be light of hand!

      Reply

  11. Lauren says

    I LOVE Egg and Bacon pie! I made it for the first time last August and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Your crust looks amazing. Frankly, I’m rubbish with pastry. It always tastes good, but the general appearance leaves something to be desired. My dad, who is great with the whole decorative side of cooking just thinks I don’t apply myself enough. Thankfully, I have some very understanding grandmothers!

    Reply

    • Karen says

      LOL! This did make me laugh Lauren! I love egg and bacon pie too….it is so comforting and savoury….mum taught me how to make pastry and I am a pretty dab hand at it cos’ of her tuition. 🙂

      Reply

  13. Janice says

    Nohting wrong with a bit of Jus-rol pastry and your pie looks great. It reminds me of a pie that my husband’s cousin makes on her hill farm, so you got that absolutely right!

    Reply

  14. Angela MacLean says

    Mmm pheasant and juniper sounds lush. I love pies but don’t make them that often, although I am getting better at pastry each time I do. Pork and Cider is one of my favourites.

    Reply

  16. Fiona Matters says

    This looks gorgeous. I love pie – and egg and bacon are some of my favorite ingredients. I love the look of your pastry too. So yummy. Shared on twitter.

    Reply

  17. Fiona Matters says

    I made this! https://twitter.com/fionalmatters/status/309245940106158080 – well sort of. I had half a pack of bacon left after our full English on Saturday so I used your pastry recipe and put in the bacon. However due to just having two eggs that morning I made a white sauce and added some veggies to the inside. It was lovely but gosh is the pastry short! Gluten free pastry is ALWAYS a nightmare mind.

    Reply

  18. Tracy Nixon says

    Lovely recipe thank you! I love decorating my pies too with leaves etc – makes them look so homely and appealing! G+’d

    Reply

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