It was National Pie Day on Wednesday this week! Unfortunately, it was the American National Pie Day, but I didn’t let that stop me making this yummy meaty pie for our dinner to celebrate (do I ever really need an excuse to bake a pie?!)
The meat in this pie is super-tender and flakes apart on your fork, and this is due to the slow-cooking process of the filling. You can’t usually get such a well-cooked meat in a normal pie, because the pastry crust usually cooks in half an hour and the filling needs a lot longer, so I start this one off on the hob then transfer to the oven like a stew, or you could put it in a slow-cooker in the morning and it’ll be perfect to add to a pie-case when you want your dinner. Or maybe make double-portions of a beef stew the day before, saving half for a pie on the second day. Either way, it’ll ensure the flavours are beautifully combined and the beef is lovely and tender. I used beef fillet, but because you are slow-cooking the filling, you can use any stewing cuts of beef you like.