This raised meat pie with a row of hard-boiled eggs at its centre is traditional British picnic food. The hot-water crust should not be allowed to cool completely before lining the tin.

Ingredients

Serves: 8-10
450 Gram Minced veal (1 lb)
110 Gram Boiled ham, minced (4 oz)
2 Tablespoon Fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Ground mace
1/4 Teaspoon Ground bay leaves
1 Lemon, zest only
2 Medium Onions, finely chopped
110 Gram Lard, plus extra for greasing the tin (4 oz)
200 Ml Water (7 fl oz)
350 Gram Plain flour (12 oz)
1 Egg yolk
3 Eggs, hard-boiled and shelled
2 Teaspoon Powdered aspic jelly
300 Ml Boiling water ( 1/2 pint)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 °C / 350 °F / Gas 4.
Grease a 1.4 litre (2 1/2 pint) loaf tin and line the base with greaseproof paper. Put the veal, ham, parsley, mace, bay leaves, lemon zest and onions in a bowl. Mix well.
Put the lard and water in a saucepan and gently heat until the lard has melted. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and tip in the flour. Beat well to form a soft dough. Beat the egg yolk into the dough. Cover with a damp tea towel and rest in a warm place for 20 minutes, until the dough is elastic and easy to work. Do not allow the dough to cool completely.
Pat two-thirds of the pastry into the base and sides of the prepared tin, making sure it is evenly distributed. Press in half the meat mixture and place the eggs down the centre. Fill with the remaining meat mixture. Roll out the remaining pastry for the lid. Cover the pie with the pastry and seal the edges. Use the pastry trimmings to decorate the top, then make one large whole in the centre of the pie.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours. If necessary, cover the pastry with foil towards the end of the cooking time to prevent over-browning. Leave to cool for 3-4 hours. Make up the aspic jelly with the boiling water. Cool for about 10 minutes. Pour the liquid aspic through the hole in the top of the pie. Chill the pie for at least 1 hour. Leave to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour before removing from the tin.

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