A GRAND CHRISTMAS

Planning your festive menu? These must-try dishes celebrate Irish food and hospitality

- COMPILED BY BECKY DONALDSON

BOXING DAY PIE

Serves 8 Takes 1 hour 40 minutes

"On Christmas night and Boxing Day, Mummy used to make the best turkey, ham and stuffing sandwiches: heavily buttered bread with the Christmas leftovers layered on top. One was never enough. I still make Mummy's Christmas sandwiches, but I also make this pie, often on Boxing Day. And it's great hot or cold. The pastry is crumbly and breaks easily but it tastes so good. If you don't want to make your own, shopbought all-butter puff pastry works well."

INGREDIENTS

• 55g/2¼oz Gubbeen cheese or mature cheddar

• 55g/2¼oz Irish cheddar

• 55g/2¼oz leftover stuffing

• 110g/4oz leftover ham

• 200g/7oz leftover turkey

• 110g/4¼oz pigs in blankets

• 3 tbsp chopped chives

• 170ml/6fl oz double cream

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pastry

• 500g/1lb 2oz plain flour

• Pinch of sea salt

• 285g/10¼oz cold unsalted butter, diced

• 4 medium egg yolks beaten with 4 tbsp cold water, plus 1 beaten egg for brushing

1. First, make the pastry. Combine the flour, salt, butter and egg yolks/water mixture in a food processor. Stir with a spoon, then pulse until a dough forms.

2. Roll just under half the pastry into a 30x20cm/12x8in rectangle and place on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of baking parchment. Chill for 30 minutes. Wrap the remaining pastry and chill.

3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 6. Take the rolled pastry and prick all over with a fork, then bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool. Take the remaining pastry out of the fridge.

4. To make the filling, mix the cheeses and stuffing in a bowl, then scatter half of this mixture over the baked pastry base, leaving a 2cm border at the edge.