Chicken, Mushroom & Leek Pie

A wonderful, hearty recipe from our friends at THE PIG at Combe. Everyone knows that chicken and mushrooms belong together– and the leeks add a deliciously creamy texture to this national treasure of a dish – an absolute family favourite!

Difficulty:

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: 8

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Ingredients

Vegetable oil
1kg Creedy Carver free-range diced chicken from our Master Butchers (where possible, don’t use breast meat as it dries out – bones, skinless thigh is best)
2 onions, finely diced
300g button chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
70g butter
70g flour
500ml chicken stock
175ml white wine
2 leeks, sliced at an angle, about 2.5cm thick then washed
150ml Sutton Lucy double cream
2 tablespoons Tracklement's Dijon mustard
A bunch of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
1 Black Dog egg, beaten
Salt and pepper

Serve with boiled seasonal veg and mashed potatoes!

Method

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil, add the chicken and cook for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Put the chopped onions, mushrooms, garlic and herbs in the pan with a good pinch of salt and pepper, adding a little more oil if needed.
Cook the veg until soft (this will only take a couple of minutes) then scoop out and add to the bowl with the chicken. Add the butter and flour to the same pan and stir until a paste has formed. Pour in the chicken stock and wine and bring to a simmer to cook the flour. Put the chicken and veg back in the pan. Bring back to a summer and reduce the liquid by half.
Add the sliced leeks and cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat, then pour in the cream, add the mustard and stir to combine. Add the finely chopped tarragon and season to taste. Pour the mix into a large pie dish, leaving a 1cm gap at the top.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Top your pie dish with a sheet of pastry. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and crimp slightly around the edge, remembering to poke a hole in the middle to let the steam out. Any spare pastry can be used for decoration.
Bake for 25 minutes – until the pastry is golden and crisp. Enjoy straight from the oven with mash and boiled veg.