These quantities make six single-portion pies. Traditional English pork pies are made high, almost cylindrical, in thick pastry. You can use the same ingredients with a conventional, flatter pie.
Bernard Muscat's wine recommendation: sauvignon blanc, which is high in acidity, will cut through the heaviness: Baron Philippe Sauvignon Blanc 2006 from Charles Grech & Co.
For 6 people, you will need:
For the pastry: 100g of lard (diced), 100g of butter (diced), 200ml of water, 550g of plain flour, one and a half teaspoonfuls of salt, three eggs (beaten; two and another one kept separately).
For the filling: 500g of pork shoulder (diced), 125g of pork belly (minced), 125g of pancetta or streaky bacon (finely chopped), six sage leaves (finely chopped), a sprig of thyme (finely chopped), a pinch each of salt, ground black pepper, white pepper, ground mace or nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.
To make the pastry, melt the butter, lard and water together, taking care not to let the mixture heat up too much or bubble. Sieve the flour and salt into a mixing-bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and put two beaten eggs into it, stirring them gently in the well so that they are half-mixed with the flour. Pour the melted fat into the bowl and stir until you have soft dough. If it is too dry, add some more hot water. Knead this gently, adding more flour if it’s sticky. Wrap it in cling-film and put it in the refrigerator for an hour. To make the filling, just mix all the ingredients together. Now butter the pie-tins. Roll out the pastry and cut out pieces the right size to line the tins, leaving enough for lids. Once they are lined, fill them to slightly below the edge, and then put on the pastry-lids (cut around an empty tin, leaving at least 2cm extra all round). Glaze the lid with beaten egg, and then use a knife-tip to pierce a hole at the centre, which is where the steam will be released during cooking. Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/180C and bake the pies for 30 minutes. Then turn down the heat to gas mark 3/160C and bake them for another 75 minutes. Remove the pies from the oven, leave them to stand in their tins for a few minutes, and then turn them out. Turn up the oven-heat to gas mark 5/180C. Brush them all over with beaten egg and return them to the oven for another 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and let them stand on a wire rack. Serve them chutney or pickles, at room temperature, warm or warmed up from the refrigerator, where they will keep for at least two weeks.
