Chicken and mushroom pie

1.Cook the chicken and make the stock the day before. In a soup pot put the chicken, peppercorns, celery, onion, carrot and bay leaf and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Lift the chicken and set aside. Strain the stock through a sieve then refrigerate overnight. When the chicken has cooled remove the skin and break the meat into bite-sized chunks, then also refrigerate overnight. Skim the fat from the stock.

2.Preheat oven to 220ºC (200º fan forced)

3.In a heavy-based frying pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the onion until soft. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, adding a little extra butter if necessary. Set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pan, stir in the flour, cooking gently for 2 minutes to remove the floury taste. Gradually add the chicken stock, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until you have a smooth sauce. Add the chicken, mushrooms and onion and set aside to cool. Season with salt and pepper.

4.Line a buttered pie dish with half the rolled-out pastry. Fill with the cooled chicken mixture and top with more rolled-out pastry. Seal the edges with a fork and lightly glaze the top with egg yolk, pricking several holes in the top with the fork.

5.Bake in oven for 45 minutes until the pastry is browned. Serve with mashed potatoes and beans with butter and garlic.