Pie Champions Wanted

The search for British Pie Week's Pub Pie Champion 2011 in association with Jus-Rol and in partnership with the Morning Advertiser​ is now on.

For more information and to enter British Pie Week's Pub Pie Champion 2011 competition visit www.britishpieweek.co.uk​. The closing date for entries is 16 January 2011.

Two finalists will then go on to an live cook off on 16 February 2011 where the 2011 champion will be crowned. The winner will be presented with their award at the Great British Pub Food Awards 2011 at Plaisterers Hall, London.

Here Paul Davies, 2010 finalist and licensee at the Lamb Inn, Spaxton, Somerset, shares his Venison and Stilton pie recipe:

Venison and Stilton Pie​

Ingredients:​

• 750g Jus-Rol Shortcrust Pastry

• 6 onions, medium diced

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 450g carrot, medium diced

• 250g parsnip, small diced

• 25g fresh thyme leaves

• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• 50g fresh parsley, finely chopped (including stalks)

• 6 bay leaves

• 2.5kg venison haunch, 25mm dice

• 100ml port

• 150ml red wine

• 700ml fine local ale

• 500ml chicken stock

• 500ml beef stock

• 11/2 lemons, juiced

• 40g Coleman's English mustard powder

• 350g Stilton

• plain flour

• butter

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• vegetable oil

Method:​

1. Heat two 14" frying pans, each containing 1tbsp of vegetable oil.

2. Gently fry the onion and garlic until translucent and just about to colour, this should take around 5 minutes. Tip the onion and garlic into a warmed, medium size pan.

3. Repeat this process with the diced carrots and parsnips, adding these to the stock pan after frying.

4. Add the thyme leaves, the chopped rosemary parsley together with 6 bay leaves into the stock pan and mix well.

5. Add a little more vegetable oil to each frying pan and place on high heat. Fry off the venison chunks in small batches, until each side is just beginning to brown nicely. This should take around 1 to 11/2 minutes per side.

6. Add the browned venison to the stock pan.

7. Deglaze one frying pan with the port and the other with the red wine; add this to the stock pan.

8. Pour the local ale into one of the frying pans and reduce by a third. This is complete once all froth has disappeared.

9. Pour the reduced ale into the stock pan along with the chicken and beef stocks and bring to the boil.

10. Once boiling, sprinkle in the mustard powder and add the juice of the lemons. Add a good amount of black pepper at this stage.

11. Lower the heat to a slow simmer for approximately 11/2 hours (times may vary according to the type of venison you use and also the cut). This stage is complete once you can cut the meat against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon without too much resistance.

12. At this stage, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Tip: If there is too much liquid at the end of the cooking time, simply ladle off into a container and serve as a soup with crusty bread.

13. Mix together the flour and the butter to use as a thickening agent and add to the pie filling to achieve your desired consistency.

14. Pour the pie filling into a plain, white, rectangular dish (370mm x 250mm, 75mm deep) with a lipped edge and allow to cool.

15. Preheat oven to 165°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.

16. Once the pie filling is cooled, crumble over the Stilton, ensuring an even spread.

17. Take half a packet (750g) of Jus-Rol™ Shortcrust Pastry and roll it out to the size of the pie dish, leaving just enough to overlap the edge.

18. Egg-wash the lip of the pie dish and carefully cover with the rolled out pastry.

19. Crimp the edge of the pastry with your thumb and fore fingers and egg-wash all over.

20. Hold a salt mill high over the pastry and allow just a few turns to sprinkle thinly over the whole of the pastry. Repeat this process with the pepper mill.

Note: This little trick also adds a new dimension to home-made sausage rolls with Jus-Rol™ Puff Pastry.

21. Make 3 small cuts in the centre of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.

22. Place in the preheated oven for around 25-35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and shiny.