Our take on the traditional British meat pie has a delicious filling of mince, leeks, carrots, peas and more, encased in a double pastry crust, just as a perfect meat pie should be.
The main thing:
Other stuff:
Our traditional British meat pie is a delicious savoury dish with a filling of minced beef, onion, vegetables and herbs. A tasty pie with crisp pastry case (you can also use ready made puff pastry for a quicker version, if you like).
You can choose to omit the vegetables and make the filling with minced beef only. In this case, serve the vegetables separately, boiled peas for instance, or go for traditional mushy peas.
For the filling, you can use minced beef or use half beef and half pork. You could also used minced lamb. This meat pie can be served hot, lukewarm or at room temperature. It can even be enjoyed cold as part of a picnic or cold buffet.
Made by Véronique
Published at 2023-11-21, this recipe is for 6 people and takes 1 hours 30 minutes.
Founder of Ohmydish (established 2014). Would happily spend her entire day in the kitchen. Previously worked in the hospitality industry as an independent chef and is ready and willing to help you gain confidence in the kitchen. With her easy-to-follow recipes, helpful tips, and cooking knowledge, you will be making the very tastiest dishes yourself in no time! Véronique's recipes are intended for everyone, from beginners to advanced home cooks.
Updated at: 22-12-2023
View the original recipe via:
https://ohmydish.com/recipe/traditional-british-meat-pie
Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic cloves.
Peel the carrots and cut into chinks, not too large. Wash the leeks and cut into thin half moons.
Heat a knob of butter in a deep frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the minced beef and fry until browned.
Add the carrots and leeks and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the carrots and leeks start to soften. Add the peas.
Season with a beef stock cube, Worcestershire sauce, herbes de Provence, black pepper and salt.
Add a tablespoon of flour and fry a little more to cook out the flour flavour and bind the moisture from the vegetables. Let the filling cool completely.
Beat one egg and set aside.
Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Dice the cold butter and gradually add it to the flour while continuing to mix.
The dough will look crumbly. Add half of the cold water and keep mixing.
Gradually add the rest of the water along with a little of the beaten egg (about a quarter egg).
Keep mixing until a soft pastry dough forms, making sure the dough does not become sticky. Wrap the dough with cling film and place it in the fridge for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a pie dish with butter.
Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour and divide the pastry dough into 2 equal portions. Roll out 1 piece into a large circle just a little larger than the pie dish.
Place the pastry circle in the pie dish, making sure it extends slightly over the edge, but not too much. Spread the filling over the pastry base, and brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg.
Roll out the second piece of pastry dough into a large circle, just slightly larger than the pie dish. Place the dough over the pie filling, press the edges together well and cut away any excess pastry dough. You can use the excess dough to decorate the pie, if you like.
Use a knife to make a hole in the centre of the pie, this will allow the steam from the filling to escape during baking. Use a small knife to crimp the rim of the pastry.
Brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg and bake the meat pie for around 45 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown. The exact baking time depends on your oven and the thickness of the pastry. Enjoy your meal!
What should I serve with this traditional meat pie?
A meat pie is usually accompanied by vegetables such as peas. You can put the vegetables in the filling of the meat pie, in which case it is not really necessary to serve anything extra with the pie.
What is the difference between meat pie and mince pie?
This can be a little confusing if you don't live in the UK. A meat pie is made with a filling of minced meat, seasonings and (optionally) vegetables, making it a savoury pie.
A mince pie is made with a filling of mincemeat (fruit, dried fruit, alcohol and spices), making it a sweet pie.
