Mushroom and ale pie

Combine the dried mushrooms with 250ml freshly boiled water and set aside. Gather the onions.

Chop the onions real small and add to a pan of hot oil. Cook for 5-6 mins until browned.

Once the onions are cooked, add them to a bowl. Keep the pan around as you’ll use it again. Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms. Quarter the smaller mushrooms and slice the larger ones.

Add a little more oil to the pan and add the fresh mushrooms once hot. Cook for 5 or so minutes until they’re sealed. Stir in the soaked mushrooms and the liquid, the ale, garlic, crumbled stock cube, tomato purée, redcurrant jelly, brown sugar, rosemary and bay leaves. Add the onions back into the pan. Season with a generous pinch of salt and lots of black pepper and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally.

Make the cornflour and water mixture and stir through the pan. Continue to heat and stir for a minute or so until the sauce thickens. Stir in the chestnuts and season to taste. Remove the rosemary and bay leaves at this point.

Transfer the mixture into a pie dish to cool. Mine is approx 1.6 litres.

Make the shortcrust pastry (or use ready-made) and roll it out on a floured surface to the desired size. Once the mix is cool, top with the pastry sheet and trim the excess. If you’re feeling fancy why not use the excess to decorate the top. Beat an egg in a dish and generously apply to the pastry lid using a brush. This will help the pastry turn that nice golden brown colour.

Bake at 200°C for 40-50 mins until the pie is nicely browned. Leave to cool a bit before tucking in. Merry Christmas!