CHICKEN AND THYME PUFF PASTRY PIE

INGREDIENTS

•       600g cooked chicken, roughly shredded

•       500ml good chicken stock

•       4 tbsp cornflour

•       100ml whole milk or cream

•       1 tsp white miso paste (or Marmite)

•       1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves picked

•       150g frozen peas

•       150g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen)

•       30g butter

•       1 onion, finely diced

•       1 garlic cloves, sliced

•       1 Dorset Pastry puff pastry sheet

•       1 egg, beaten (to glaze)

1.    Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

2.    Mix the cornflour with a splash of cold water to make a smooth paste. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Whisk in the cornflour paste and stir continuously until thickened - about 3 minutes. Stir in the milk or cream, miso paste, and Dijon mustard.

3.    Fold in the chicken, thyme, peas, and sweetcorn. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Taste - the miso should feel savoury and rounded. Transfer to a deep pie dish and leave to cool slightly.

4.    Preheat oven to 200°C fan. Drape the puff pastry over the pie dish, pressing gently to seal the edges and trim any overhang. Brush with beaten egg and score a small steam hole in the centre.

5.    Bake for 25–30 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes: White miso adds a gentler, more rounded umami than Marmite - start with a small amount and taste. Both work beautifully; Marmite gives a slightly deeper, more British flavour.. Note to also check the consistency before transferring to the dish: it should coat the back of a spoon thickly and hold a channel when you run your finger through it. If it still looks loose, slacken a little more cornflour in cold water and stir it back in over the heat.