Pie and Mash

Pie and mash is London's iconic working-class dish: a crisp-pastried beef pie with creamy mashed potato.

Meat pie

1. In a hot pan fry the minced beef (500 g) with the diced onion (1), until the meat browns.

2. Sprinkle over the flour (1 tablespoon wheat flour), stir it through, then pour in the meat stock (300 ml), and cook it into a thick ragù.

3. Salt and pepper it, then let it cool – it is easier to fill with cold.

4. Line the pie dishes with the puff pastry (300 g), fill them with the ragù, then cover them with pastry, and press the edges together.

5. Brush the top with beaten egg (1), and in a preheated oven at 200 °C bake it golden brown in 25-30 minutes.

Mashed potato

6. Peel the potatoes (800 g), cook them tender in salted water, and strain them.

7. Mash them with the butter (40 g) and the milk (100 ml) into a creamy purée, and serve it beside the pie.

Tip: A classic London street dish – the pie filled with thick, saucy ragù and the creamy mash together are the real thing.