Chicken, Mushroom and Stilton Pies

With a packet of puff pastry in the 'fridge and the need for something filling for Sunday lunch, I remembered Pies!
This pie is very, very easy, and so delicious you will wonder why you have never tried it before. My family sighed with delight and, even better, I can satisfy their carnivorous tendencies as well as my own herbidatious ones! (I think that last one is from The Herbs..... remember Parsely the Lion and Dill the Dog?!) Herrrrrrbidatious!!



Chicken and Mushroom Pie, with Mushroom and Stilton Pie for non-meat-eaters

Serves 5

1 pkt puff pastry

1 onion
300g mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
125ml half-fat creme fraiche
4 tbs double cream
Some cubed stilton for the veggie pies
1 pkt ready cubed chicken breast or 3 chicken breasts, cubed

You will need a pie dish approx. 22 cm across and 5 cm deep, and a small dish about 10cm across and 4-5cm deep.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees/Gas mk 6.
Fry the onion in some butter until golden. Add the mushrooms and cook until wilted but not too watery. Add the thyme, creme fraiche, double cream and season to your taste.
Meanwhile, cook the chicken in a frying-pan until golden.

Cut about a quarter of the pastry block off and set aside. Roll the remainder to the size of your pie dish and then roll the small piece to the size of the small dish.

Take some of the mushroom mixture and place into the small dish along with some cubes of stilton. Mix the chicken into the remainder of the filling and pour into the larger dish. Wet the edges of the dishes and put both lids on top, pressing gently around the edge to seal. Cut the excess pastry off and make little leaf shapes. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and stick the leaves in the centre.

Bake for 30 mins or until the pastry is golden and looking delicious!

Happy Baking!