EASY AS PIE

Cosy recipes get a tasty makeover

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Classic fish pie Classic fish pie

Delicious seafood in a creamy sauce with a golden mashed potato topping - you can't beat it.

Serves 6 • Prep 20 min • Cook 35 min

600 ml whole milk

100 ml white wine

1 bay leaf

1 small onion, halved

6 black peppercorns

30 g butter, plus extra melted (optional)

30 g plain flour

120 g extra mature Cheddar, grated

2 tsp Dijon mustard

½ pack chives, snipped

500 g salmon, skinned, cut into 3 cm chunks

2 packs smoked haddock, skinned, cut into 3 cm chunks

20 raw king prawns

Ready-made mashed potato

1 Heat the oven to 180°C. Warm the milk, wine, bay leaf, onion and peppercorns in a saucepan.

2 Melt the butter in a medium pan, then stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until it smells toasty. Gradually beat in the warm milk/wine mixture (discard the solids first) to make a smooth sauce, then cook, stirring, over the heat until thickened.

3 Stir in most of the grated cheese and the mustard until smooth, seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper. Add the chives.

4 Arrange the fish in a medium baking dish. Pour over the sauce and gently mix to combine.

5. Spoon or pipe the mash into the dish so that it completely covers the fish and sauce. Brush with melted butter, if you like, then scatter over the remaining cheese.

6 Bake for 30-35 min, until the sauce starts to ooze, the mash topping is golden and the fish is cooked through. Serve with greens.

French onion beef pies

Caramelised onions and meltingly tender beef make a flavoursome and hearty pie filling.

Makes 6-8 pies • Prep 45 min, plus chilling • Cook 3 hrs 30 min

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 kg beef shin/chuck steak, cut into large chunks