Melton Mowbray Pork Pie

Name: Melton Mowbray Pork Pie
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: Makes 1 large pie (serves 8)
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: Hot-water crust: 450g strong flour, 100g lard, 150ml water, 1 tsp salt; Filling: 700g pork shoulder, coarsely chopped; 150g bacon, chopped; 1 tsp each: salt, white pepper, mace; ½ tsp ground ginger; 2 tbsp chopped sage; Jelly: 300ml hot pork stock with 2 leaves gelatine; 1 egg, beaten, for glazing

Hand-raised hot-water crust, uncured chopped pork, and a savoury jelly poured through the hole — the hunting-breakfast pie that defines an entire town.

Prep: 60 min
Cook: 90 min
Total: 150 min
Yield: Makes 1 large pie (serves 8)
Difficulty: Involved
Era: Georgian / PGI protected

Ingredients

Hot-water crust: 450g strong flour, 100g lard, 150ml water, 1 tsp salt
Filling: 700g pork shoulder, coarsely chopped; 150g bacon, chopped
1 tsp each: salt, white pepper, mace; ½ tsp ground ginger; 2 tbsp chopped sage
Jelly: 300ml hot pork stock with 2 leaves gelatine
1 egg, beaten, for glazing

Method

Oven180°C350°FFan 160°CGas 4

Boil the lard and water, pour into the flour and salt, and mix to a smooth dough. Work it while warm.
Reserve a third for the lid. Raise the rest around a floured jam jar, working the dough up into a free-standing case.
Mix the pork, bacon and seasonings and pack firmly into the case.
Add the lid, crimp the edges, cut a central hole and glaze with egg.
Bake at 180°C / 350°F (fan 160°C, gas 4) for 1½ hours, glazing again halfway, until deep amber.
When cooled to warm, funnel the gelatine stock through the hole in stages, letting it settle. Chill overnight before slicing — patience is the final ingredient.

Oven temperatures are given in Celsius, Fahrenheit, fan and gas mark throughout. Quantities are metric, as cooked and written in the UK.