For the pork ‘pate:' ·1kg Wallops Wood Dairy pork shoulder (cut into 5mm cubes) ·250g fresh Wallops Wood Dairy pork belly (minced) ·250g Wallops Wood Dairy salt pork or streaky bacon (finely chopped) ·12 sage leaves (finely chopped) ·Leaves from 2 good sprigs of thyme (finely chopped) ·1 teaspoon rock salt ·1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper ·1 teaspoon ground white pepper ·½ teaspoon ground mace ·A good pinch of cayenne pepper ·1 bay leaf For the jelly: ·250ml good pork stock that will set to jelly For the hot water crust: ·100g lard (diced) ·100g butter (diced) ·200ml water ·550g plain flour ·1½ teaspoons salt ·2 medium eggs (beaten) ·1 medium egg (beaten to glaze)
Start by making the hot water crust pastry: 1.Put the lard, butter and water in a saucepan and heat gently until melted. 2.Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the salt. 3.Make a dip in the centre and add the two beaten eggs, stirring them around gently with a knife so they are half mixed with the flour. 4.Pour in the melted fat and water and mix together to form a soft dough. 5.Knead gently, adding more flour if the pastry is too sticky to handle. 6.Wrap in cling-film and chill for an hour. To make the pork filling: Mix all the meats with the herbs, salt and seasonings, except the bay leaf, so they are thoroughly combined. To assemble the pie: 1.Cut off a quarter of the pastry and return to the fridge for the lid. 2.On a floured surface, roll out the rest of the pastry into a 30cm circle a good centimetre thick. 3.Use this to line a 20cm spring-form cake tin, pressing the pastry into the sides and flattening any overlap with your fingers. The pastry needs to come 6-8cm up the sides of the tin. 4.Fill with the seasoned pork mixture and push the bay leaf into the middle of it. 5.Roll out the remaining quarter of pastry into a circle the size of the tin. 6.Brush the edges of the lining pastry with a little beaten egg and lay the pastry lid on top of the pie. 7.Crimp the edges together so that they are sealed. 8.Cut a hole in the centre of the pastry lid, about 1cm in diameter. 9.Place the pie in a moderate oven (180ºC/ Gas Mark 4) and bake for 30 minutes. 10.Reduce the temperature to 160ºC/ Gas Mark 3 and bake for a further 1 ¼ hours. 11.Carefully release the sides of the tin and remove it. 12.Brush the top and the sides of the pie with beaten egg and cook for another 15 minutes to set the glaze. 13.Take the pie out of the oven and allow to cool until just slightly warm. This is the correct temperature at which to add the jelly. 14.Warm the jellied stock until it is pourable, but not hot. 15.Carefully lift the edges of the centre hole of the pastry with the tip of a knife and slowly pour the jelly into the hole, using a small funnel if it helps. 16.Tilt the pie from time to time to help distribute the jelly and then try to get a little more in. 17.Stop filling the pie when the stock begins to overflow from the hole. 18.Leave the pie to cool, then put in the fridge. It is best to leave the pork pie for 48 hours before serving so that the filling can mature and the herbs and spices can impregnate into the pork meats. This pie will keep for about 2 weeks. Serve with hot bubble and squeak potato cakes and homemade piccalilli or chutney.