Bacon and cheese meat pies
Makes: 6
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Bacon and cheese meat pies
A founding member of the Commonwealth, New Zealand takes a particular interest in supporting the smaller, more vulnerable Pacific states within the group. The hand-held meat pie was introduced by early British settlers in the mid 19th-century and is now synonymous with Kiwi cuisine
Makes: 6
Prep time: 50 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
725Kcal
Fat
48gr
Saturates
21gr
Carbs
36gr
Sugars
5gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
35gr
Salt
2.3gr
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus 11⁄2 tsp
- 500g beef mince (12% fat)
- 3 unsmoked back bacon rashers, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 1⁄4 tsp smoked paprika
- 300ml beef stock (made with 1 stock pot or cube)
- 50g tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 x 320g sheets ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- 1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 120g mature cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
To serve
- crinkle-cut gherkins
- dipping sauces (such as ketchup, mayo and mustard)
Step by step
- Put six metal poaching rings (9cm diameter x 3.5cm deep) on a baking tray and use 1⁄2 teaspoon of the oil to grease them (alternatively, use similarly sized individual pie tins).
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large deep frying pan. Cook the mince, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, for 5-7 minutes until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl.
- Wipe out the pan, return it to the heat and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Fry the bacon for 2 minutes then add the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes more. Add the dried herbs and paprika and cook for 1 minute then return the mince to the pan along with any juices and stir in the stock, ketchup, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes until thick and glossy. Adjust the seasoning to taste and set aside to cool completely.
-
Unroll the shortcrust pastry sheets and cut out 6 discs large enough to line the pie tins or poaching rings, including a small rim of pastry. Repeat with the puff pastry sheet, cutting them the same diameter as the rings or the top of the tins. See ‘Waste not’ tip, above, for what to do with the pastry trimmings.Waste notBring the leftover shortcrust pastry scraps into a ball, wrap and freeze for a future recipe. The leftover puff pastry can be frozen too; preserve the layers by piling the scraps on top of each other, ready to be rolled out again.
- Line each metal ring or pie tin with a disc of shortcrust pastry – if using rings, make sure that the base of the pastry sits flat against the baking tray. Brush the rims with the egg mixture then divide the cooled beef filling among the pie cases. Scatter evenly with cheese and top with the discs of puff pastry, using a fork to seal the edges. Cut a small slit in the lid of each pie to allow steam to escape, brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Chill for 20-30 minutes while your oven preheats to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
- Bake the pies on the tray for 35-40 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and deeply golden. Stand for 10 minutes before removing from the rings or tins. Top with the crinkle-cut gherkins and serve with the dipping sauces.
