Homemade pie recipes

Hot or cold, sweet or savoury, the much-loved, humble pie has been a staple of British cooking for centuries - and for good reason. Cheap, filling and very tasty, pies are incredibly versatile - from traditional recipes to new combinations of ingredients and flavours, there's something for everyone. So we've rounded up our favourite sweet and savoury homemade recipes for you to try.

Savoury pies

Is there anything more tempting than a homemade chicken and leek pie on a cold evening? Or perhaps a light spinach and feta filo pie in your picnic basket? Now all you need is a great recipe. Here are our favourites...
 

Sausage pie

Prep time: 30 minutes         Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes         Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 packet sausages
• 1 packet sage and onion stuffing
• 150g plain flour
• 150g butter
• 2 tbsp ice cold water
• Pinch of salt

Method 

1. Make up the stuffing as the packet instructs - add a little more water to make it a bit wetter, but not runny. Leave to cool.
2. To make the pastry, rub flour and butter with a pinch of salt. When it's at the breadcrumb stage, add a little water until it forms a soft dough. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Now skin the sausages and mix well with the stuffing mix.
4. Divide the pastry into two equal pieces.
5. Roll out the first to fit a 9 inch pie dish. Put the sausage mix in and press down with the back of the spoon.
6. Roll out the second piece and place on top of the filling, sealing the edges.
7. Glaze, and if you fancy, use any off-cuts to make decorations such as leaves.
8. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes at 180°C. Enjoy hot or cold.

Tip: Try using different flavoured sausages and stuffing for variety, or use vegetarian sausages if you're veggie.

Spinach and feta pie

Prep time: 10 minutes         Cook time: 20-30 minutes         Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 large bag of spinach
• 1 block of feta cheese
• Pack of filo pastry
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white
• Pepper

Method 

1. Wilt the spinach.
2. Crumble feta cheese and mix with cooled spinach.
3. Add both the whole egg and the egg white, well beaten.
4. Add black pepper.
5. Butter the filo sheets and put 2-3 in the base of your dish (I used a buttered lasagne dish).
6. Add the filling and top with crumpled sheets of filo.
7. Bake in the oven until filo is golden and crispy, roughly 15 minutes at 180°C. 
8. Serve hot or cold!

Tip: Keep the filo covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Chicken and mango filo pie

Prep time: 20 minutes         Cook time: 20 minutes         Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1/2 green or red pepper, sliced
• 300g raw chicken breast, diced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 100g ripe mango, sliced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 level tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 150ml water
• 4 sheets filo pastry
• Melted butter

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan, fry chicken until juices run clear, add spring onions and peppers and continue frying for a further two minutes.
3. In a small bowl, blend together the sugar, tomato purée, vinegar, soy sauce, chilli sauce and cornflour to a smooth paste.
4. Stir in water.
5. Add mango slices and liquid to chicken and simmer gently until thickened.
6. Pour into an 8 inch pie dish and set aside to cool.
7. Brush each filo sheet with melted butter, gently scrunch and arrange on top of chicken mixture loosely.  
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Tip: The filling can be made in advance.

Chicken and bacon pie

Prep time: 20 minutes         Cook time: 50 minutes         Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 packet puff pastry
• 4 pieces of chicken 
• 4 rashers of smoked bacon
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 litre (1 pint) chicken stock

Method 

1. Wrap chicken in the bacon and lay in an oval pie dish.
2. Add the onion, mushroom and parsley.
3. Add enough stock to cover, then cover with puff pastry.
4. Cook in oven at 180°C for 50 minutes.

You could also try: 

Egg and bacon pie

Haggis pie

Cheese and onion pie

Christmas pie 

Sweet pies

Buttery pastry, sharp fruits and sugary meringue - sweet pies are the perfect combination of rustic and modern food traditions brought together to create glorious puddings. Here are our favourite sweet pie recipes...
 

Cherry pie

Prep time: 50 minutes         Cook time: 20 minutes         Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the pastry 

• 185g plain flour
• 125g butter, softened
• 30g icing sugar
• 50-65ml ice cold water

For the filling 

• 1kg cherries, pitted
• 150g caster sugar plus extra for dusting

Method 

1. Put the flour and the butter in a bowl and use your fingers to rub in until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Stir in the icing sugar and add 50ml of water. Mix to form a dough, adding a little more water if it is not pliable enough, then wrap the dough in clingfilm and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. 
4. Divide the pastry into two pieces - one roughly a third smaller than the other. 
5. Roll out the largest piece of pastry into a disc to fit the pie dish – it should be quite thin, about 3mm, so trim it if necessary.
6. Put the cherries in the pastry dish and scatter over the sugar.
7. Roll out the smaller piece of pastry and cut into long strips for the lattice. 
8. Wet the edges of the dish then lay the pastry strips over the cherries. Use a fork to press the sides so they stick to the dish. 
9. Bake the pie until the pastry is golden and the contents are bubbling – about 20 minutes.
10. Scatter over some caster sugar while the pie is still warm.
11. Serve with custard or vanilla ice cream.

Apple pie with a twist

Prep time: 20-30 minutes         Cook time: 40 minutes         Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 5ozs plain flour
• 5ozs self-raising flour
• 5ozs Trex
• 2 large cooking apples
• Sugar to sweeten
• Cinnamon (optional)
• Dessicated coconut

Method 

1. Cook the apples in a small amount of water, sweeten to your taste and add cinnamon (optional).
2. Rub fat into flour, mix to a stiff dough with cold water.
3. Divide the pastry into two pieces. 
4. Roll out the first to line an 8 inch shallow pie dish.
5. Put in the apple mixture. Sprinkle with coconut. 
6. Roll out the second piece of pastry to make your topping and cover the pie.
7. Bake for approximately 40 minutes at 160°C.
8. Serve on its own or with ice cream or cream.

Tip: Can be frozen.

Luxury rhubarb pie

Prep time: 30 minutes         Cook time: 1 hour         Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 175g (6oz) plain flour
• 85g (1oz) caster sugar
• 2-3 tbsp cold water

For the filling and topping

• 700g (1lb 9oz) rhubarb, chopped
• 140g (5oz) caster sugar
• Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche or double cream
• 3 egg whites
• 175g (6oz) caster sugar
• 1 tsp each vinegar, vanilla essence and cornflour, blended together

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 6 and make pastry in the usual way. Use it to line a deep 20-23cm (8-9in) or shallow 25cm (10in) flan tin.
2. Bake blind for 15 minutes, remove paper and beans and cook for a further 5-8 minutes.
3. Reduce temperature to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas Mark 5.
4. Put the rhubarb, sugar and rind into pan and gently heat till the juices run. Cover and stew for 7-10 minutes, until soft.
5. Remove the lid, turn up the heat and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until a pulp forms.
6. Blend the orange juice and cornflour to a paste, and stir into the pulp. Cook gently until thickened, then stir in the egg yolks and cook for two minutes.
7. Remove from the heat, stir in the crème fraîche or cream and pour into the cold pastry case.
8. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Then whisk in the sugar in four batches, adding a little of the blended vinegar paste each time, until the meringue is thick and glossy.
9. Spoon the meringue over the rhubarb filling. Swirl into peaks, then bake for 12-15 minutes.
10. Cool for 10 minutes. 

You could also try:

Meringue topped apple pie

Pumpkin pie

Pecan pie

Other things you might like:

Baking with kids

Salad recipes

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