We made pork pies
Comments(19)
I’ve always wanted to have a go at making pork pies. I even bought a tiny funnel for adding the jelly a couple of years ago in the faint hope that I would have time to try over Christmas.
When The Chicken Lady admitted to a similar dream I retrieved the funnel from the depths of the equipment drawer and pounded up to the top of the village with some plain flour, a large block of lard and a couple of pork hocks with trotters.
My mum has given me her treasured farmer’s cookbook Farmhouse Fare
We found an ancient recipe that was a hundred years old in 1947 and tweaked the spices a bit. The pies were easy to make but getting the pastry off the moulds proved to be a bit of a tussle. Having popped them in the freezer, to speed up the process a bit, the moulds and pastry cases had become one.
We eventually made two large old fashioned pork pies which were chilled and ceremoniously cut last night. Filled with chopped pork and a good jelly the pies were guzzled as we smoked some back bacon and pork hocks in the inglenook.
These are light years away from the salty shop bought pork pies and very tasty. We reckon that we can improve them a bit more before sharing our recipe with the world.
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You just can’t beat a good pork pie. I have thought about making my own some time too but have never quite been adventurous enough yet.
My boyfreind has been on at me for years to try making Pork Pies … this has given me the push to have a go.
I make pork pies every Christmas and they are worth the effort. It’s much easier to hand shape the suet crust if making small pies than trying to use a mould. For a larger pie cook in a spring-clip, loose bottom cake tin and take it out after cooking ( see either Delia or Nigella for more specific instructions). Hope this helps. Good luck with more pie making
I’ve always been fascinated by the pork pie — it’s kind of a deluxe pasty, no? I have never screwed up my courage enough to attempt one, and as they are so filling, will not until at least November…we’re already getting heat here in California. Your pie looks picture-perfect, though! Nice when that happens, eh?
Please hurry with that recipe. As soon as I read “an ancient recipe that was a hundred years old in 1947″ I knew I had to have it for the next edition of my book “How To Cook Like Your Grandmother” — http://book.CookLikeYourGrandmother.com
The perfect thing about old cookbooks is they’re not obsessed with the latest nutritionist fad about not eating fat, or not eating carbs, or not eating *whatever* it is they’ve decided is going to kill us this week. Anything with “a large block of lard” is right up my alley.
Mmmm. Pork Pies, my favourite.
We have Stokes’s Award Winning Pork Pies locally – and they are fantastic…if a little pricey per kilo. (The price may be the incentive to have a go at homemade….but we’d need to get some pigs first).
I have that book too – it is my BIBLE of farmhouse style cookery. I’ve made the pork pies too, but just the once, years ago. I do a hot water crust raised game pie (eaten cold) which is good though, especially at Christmas. If you ever want a superb handcream for those winter hands (when fingers crack from the cold), try the recipe for Elderflower facecream. I have never tried it on my face (or I would probably look about 10!) but it’s brill for chapped hands.
…drooling…
Hi Sylvie
These were fun to make and look great too – just like a pie from a Dickens novel. We are having another go in a couple of weeks time!
Hi Becky
Good luck!
Hi Nicki
Thanks for the tips much appreciated.
Hi Hank
Hopefully we will have the perfect recipe by November. I think that you’d enjoy a pork pie – good old fashioned food.
Hi Drew
Had a nose on your site to read about your book – great stuff! We’ve had good feedback on the pies already!
Hi Richard
Using your own pork would be perfect, of course. It was surprising how tender the meat is, considering it was made with hocks.
Hi Jennie
I must investigate the book in more depth, that hand cream sounds wonderful!
I love cold game pie – must give it a go.
Hi Amalee
Perfect for a gardening packed lunch!
Metfield Bakery not only sell superb Pork Pies, on their website http://www.metfieldbakery.com , Stuart Oetzmann gives his recipe for them.
Hello Charles
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to leave the link to such an excellent site and great recipe too!
I have only made pork pies once but I was only 12 at the time and doing domestic science at school. I’m rather partial to a melton mowbray from M&S but the best pies have to be from Satterthwaites in Crosby, especially if you get them freshly delivered and still hot, there is nothing like a hot Sattie’s pie!
Hi Pamela
I love pork pies too. The best I’ve tasted is the Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie. I haven’t tried Satterthwaites’ pies in Crosby.
Our pies were far less salty than the usual pork pie and pretty good for a first attempt. You can’t beat a really old tried and tested recipe. But tastes move on.
I am keen to crack the pork pie challenge, it just takes time!
I did domestic science as an extra in the 6th form. All I remember making were lardy cake and croissants!
Guess what! I was discussing pork pies with my mother before we went to the Highgate Farm Shop butchers, and she said she had a book I could have:
‘Farmhouse Fare’ a 1973 reprint of the 1935 edition!!!!!
I also consulted ‘Aunt Alice’ (no not an ancient relative, but an ancient Victorian recipe tome which had been thrown out by someone’s Aunt!) she/it recommends using a warmed jar as a pastry mould, so it’s easy to remove! presumably before you chill the pastry, it didn’t say.
The jolly butchers are happy to supply the ingredients I need – if I give them a call early in the week I can collect on a Friday (my usual meat buying day). So – I’m going to do more research and plan a pork pie making session, followed by a grand feast.
The butcher offered a pig’s head too!
Celia
BTW – my mother recommends cured pig’s cheeks as an addition to your charcouterie range!
Hi Magic Cochin
That’s brilliant news. The book is packed with great recipes.
We are going to try making more pork pies on Friday. We thought that the meat in the Farmhouse Fare recipe needed a bit more seasoning and I’m going to take Fred’s tip and season the pastry too. We made the pastry in the food processor, and the amount in the recipe was far too much for the two smaller pies (so halve the amount).
Pigs heads and cheeks! Definitely a step for the future, I think.
Sorry for the belated response. Your comment slipped through the net and I only spotted it this morning.
I would like to buy high quality pies with extra gelatin ,unlike anything available to date,please help.Phil Taylor.
Hi, i did a cookery course some time ago and we made pork pies. We used hot water crust pastry and moulded the pastry over a jam jar, removing the jar when the pastry had set. They turned out very nice. I now live in Thailand and haven’t got access to an oven but i do want to try them again.
Peter Thurgood
I have recently started making pork pies. The key is to keep the pastry hot before forming it into the pi – maybe I am cheating, but I keep the pastry warm and moist in a steam oven, until I hand raise the pie – I dont have a mold and find that using a jam jar is more effort, so my pies have a distinctly rustic appearance. one factor however is that the thickness of the pastry tends to be quite thick and therefore I am of the view that larger pies are better as that way the meat to pastry proportion is more favourable. Havwe not yet got my spice combo correct – all spice seems to be a pretty good start, but lots of pepper and fresh sage or rosemary or marjoram also seems a good idea. Elisabeth Luard’s Europaen Peasant Cookery has a good recipe.
I’ve got my pigs feet boiling as they have been for the last 3 hours, i decided to make a batch of pork pies. belly pork and pig cheek. and a bit of bacon. will report back the results and pictures. i do have a very well seasond pastry. does anyone think its worth cooking some before to try it?