This is a nice dish to take advantage of the last few weeks of the game season. In Winchester farmers market last weekend there was quite a bit of end of season game being sold on the cheap, so I bought a bag of game pie mix and a pheasant. The pheasant is still in the freezer, but I thought I’d make a game pie for supper tonight.
Having not made a pie like this before, I followed a steak and kidney pie recipe and substituted the meat for the game mix. The meat you cook just like a stew first: fry the game and a diced onion in a heavy bottomed pan for a few minutes then add a little flour (to thicken the mix) before covering with some red wine and stock, season and leave to simmer over a low heat for a good couple of hours.
Then make a shortcrust pastry by rubbing 125g of cold butter (cut into small cubes) into 250g plain flour using your finger tips, until it has the appearance of breadcrumbs. Add a couple of tablespoons of cold water and stir with a round bladed knife to bring the pastry together into a ball. Roll it out on a floured surface with a rolling pin until it’s about an inch bigger than the dish your going to make the pie in. Cut around the upturned dish to get the right shape piece of pastry.
Finally, bring it all together by placing the meat mix in an ovenproof dish with a pie bird in the middle to let the steam out when it’s cooking. Then stick strips of pastry (made up of the off cuts) round the edge of the dish, sticking them on with water. Cut a hole in the pastry sheet for the pie bird to come through and place the sheet onto the dish, securing round the edges by pressing with a fork.
Just before it goes in the oven you can decorate it with the remaining pastry offcuts, securing them in place with some beaten egg, then brush beaten egg over the whole of the top of the pie so that it goes a nice colour.
Cook in the oven at 200° for 25-30 minutes and serve!
