TIDDLY OGGY

Ah pasties, the back-up snack at London’s Victoria Station whenever the queue was too long at the souvlaki stand. We ate so many pasties we really missed them when we got home. Now, when we get the urge, we make them and have a quiet moment of reflection on times past. We keep this version simple, in the tradition of good pasties: plenty of potato and swede, and minimal spicing.

MAKES 8

olive oil, for pan-frying

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) hogget, mutton or lamb, diced

1 onion, sliced

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) chicken stock

1 swede (rutabaga), roughly chopped

a pinch of ground mace

8 waxy potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (we use Tasmanian ‘pink eye’ potatoes)

60 g (2¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

60 g (2¼ oz) butter

1 quantity of savoury shortcrust pastry

Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Sauté the meat over medium–high heat until browned all over.

Stir in the onion, stock, swede and mace and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover with a round of baking paper and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender.

Add the potato and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the potato is soft.

Combine the flour and butter to form a paste. Add to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Pour the mixture into a heatproof dish, then cover and chill in the fridge for a good hour or so. (The mixture can be made a day or so ahead.)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºC/Gas 4). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Roll out the pastry to about 3 mm (¹/₈ inch) thick. Use a side plate to cut out eight circles. Spread the filling over one half of the pastry, leaving a border. Fold the other pastry half over the filling and crimp the edges together.

Place the pasties on the baking tray and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden and delicious.