- 150g plain flour
- 100g cheddar
- 45g cold butter
- 1 egg
- 400g parsnips
- 2 leeks
- 200g chestnut mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves
- A handful of thyme, leaves only
- 350ml full cream milk
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 50g baby leaf spinach
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3-5 tbsp cold water
- Vegetable peeler (optional)
- Large pan with lid
- Pie or ovenproof dish
- 1.
Warm your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Tip the flour into a mixing bowl, scoop out 2 tbsp into a small dish and set it aside. Grate half the cheddar into the mixing bowl. Dice the cold butter and add it to the bowl. Use your fingers to rub the flour, butter and cheese together till the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- 2.
Crack the egg over a small bowl and carefully separate the yolk from the white. Reserve the egg white and stir the yolk into the flour mixture with 3-5 tbsp cold water, till it forms a soft dough. Wrap the dough in a wax food wrap or a clean, damp tea towel and pop it in the fridge for 15 mins.
- 3.
Trim and dice the parsnips (no need to peel them unless you want to). Trim the roots and top 3cm off the leeks, rinse out any grit and thinly slice them. Tear the mushrooms into small pieces. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Pick the thyme leaves.
- 4.
Warm 1 tsp olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Add the parsnips, leeks, mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and fry for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally, till the veg have softened slightly.
- 5.
Stir 1 tbsp of the reserved flour into the veg and slowly pour in 350ml milk, little by little, stirring constantly to combine with the flour and veg. Grate in the remaining cheddar and add 1 tbsp Dijon mustard. Fold in the baby leaf spinach to wilt it. Simmer for 5 mins.
- 6.
While the pie filling simmers, dust your work surface with the remaining 1 tbsp flour. Unwrap the pastry and roll it out till it's ½ cm thick – round or rectangular, depending on the shape of your pie or ovenproof dish.
- 7.
Taste the pie filling and add more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Spoon the filling into your pie dish. Cover with the rolled pastry, trimming it to fit and tucking it in at the edges to encase the filling. If you have any pastry left over, you can cut it into shapes to decorate the pie. Brush the top of the pastry with the reserved egg white, using it to stick on any decorations.
- 8.
Slide the pie into the oven and bake it for 20 mins, till the top is golden and crisp. Scoop onto warm plates and serve.