Classic Pork Pie Recipe: Traditional British Pork Pastry Guide

This recipe yields four individual classic pork pies, ideal for summer picnics or a chilled lunch. These taste far superior to store-bought pies and are best served cold or at room temperature with a simple salad, new boiled potatoes, and traditional pickles or a sweet chilli jam. When enjoyed outdoors on a sunny day they are especially satisfying: deep-filled, well seasoned, and enclosed in a robust hot-water crust pastry that resists sogginess.

To achieve an authentic classic flavour, the recipe avoids herbs and instead relies on precise seasoning. Freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt are essential for character and balance. Use freshly opened spices rather than ones that have been sitting in containers for a long time to ensure maximum flavour.

This truly is a British classic …

Classic Pork Pies

Recipe Ingredients:

• 400g pork shoulder, finely chopped
• 150g pork belly, minced
• 150g lean bacon rashers, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 egg, beaten

Pastry (Hot-water crust):

• 500g plain flour
• 50g butter
• 150g lard
• 130ml water
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten, for glaze

Pork stock for jelly (aspic):

• Traditional Pork Stock / Jelly For Pork Pies

Recipe Method:

Make the pie jelly: Prepare a rich pork stock reduced until it will set as aspic when chilled. See the link above for a traditional method.

Make the pastry: Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the salt and pepper. Rub the butter and 50g of the lard (both softened) into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre.

Place the remaining lard and the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour the hot liquid into the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to work the warm ingredients into a smooth, pliable dough. Cover and set aside to cool slightly.

Grease the outside of four clean jam jars (or similar) with a little butter. Divide the pastry into four equal portions. From each portion pinch off about a quarter and reserve it for a lid. Roll the remaining larger piece into a ball, flatten into a disc and roll out to roughly 7 mm thickness.

Place the disc over the base of a jam jar and press it down the sides so the pastry conforms to the shape, forming an inverted pie shell. Keep the walls relatively thick (about 4 mm) and smooth. Repeat with the remaining portions and refrigerate the cases for 30 minutes.

Make the filling: In a mixing bowl combine the finely chopped pork shoulder, minced pork belly, finely diced bacon, sea salt, ground allspice, grated nutmeg and freshly ground black pepper. Add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly—using hands works best—to produce an even, fine-textured filling without large lumps.

Assemble the pies: Remove the pastry cases from the fridge and invert them off the jars carefully. Optional: to preserve shape while baking, wrap each pastry shell in baking paper and tie loosely with kitchen string; this prevents sagging or splitting during the bake.

Divide the filling equally between the four cases. Roll each portion of filling into a ball and press it into the pastry, packing it in but not over-compressing. Roll each reserved pastry ball into a lid about 1.5 cm larger than the shell diameter. Dampen the rim with water, place the lid on top and crimp the edges together to seal. Trim any excess and shape a neat crimped edge. Brush the pies with beaten egg.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas 4). Pierce a small steam hole through the centre of each pie crust. Bake for 30 minutes, remove and brush with more beaten egg, then bake for a further 15 minutes. Brush again and bake for an additional 15 minutes, a total of about one hour. If you wrapped the pies in paper, remove the paper after the hour, brush the pastry all over with beaten egg and return to the oven for 10 minutes to finish.

Allow the pies to cool for about an hour, then chill in the fridge for an hour. Using a narrow-necked funnel and warm, well-reduced pork stock that will set as aspic, pour the stock through the steam hole into each pie. Pause occasionally to let the stock settle into gaps around the meat; you may need to top up after 20 minutes as it sinks. Refrigerate overnight so the stock sets into a jelly. Serve the pies the next day, sliced and chilled.