Pork pies

Step 1

Derind the meat and cut it into small pieces.

Mark does this all by hand as he can ensure no gristle or rind goes into the pies, just good quality, whole cuts of meat. The pork comes from free-range pigs, which are delivered once a week.

For 40 pies you will need 7.25kg of meat. He uses meat from the belly and the shoulder using a mix of 80% lean meat and 20% fat. This gives the best flavour, Mark believes.

Step 2

Mince the meat.

Mark runs his through just once using an 8mm mincing plate. This gives the meat an "open texture" perfectly suited to pies.

Some people mince the meat twice but this is down to personal preference. The only rule of thumb is to remember that the pie meat should have some texture left in it and to use the same technique each time to ensure the texture remains consistent.

Step 3

The minced meat now needs to be mixed with the other ingredients.

Mark puts it into a mixing machine with 280g of seasoning and 230g of his "secret ingredient".

Everything is then mixed with 300ml of water, but not for too long. After about seven minutes "creaming" will occur and this must be avoided.

Next 570g of rusk is added, with a further 600ml of water. The pie meat is now ready.

Step 4

Before continuing with the pie-making process, the meat must be chilled overnight in a fridge.

Once cool, it is ready to be added to the pastry cases, which have already been lined up on a tray ready for the oven. The quantities above will make, on average, around 40 pies.

The hot-water pastry cases are filled with the meat and gently pressed down.

Zoe then egg-washes the rim of each case to make sure the lids stick down.

Step 5

The lids are then placed on top of the pastry cases and crimped with a fork.

A hole is made in the top with a turkey baster, which is used at the end of the process to fill the cavity with gelatine.

The lids are glazed with egg-wash and the pies then put into the oven.

Cook the pies at 190°C for the first 15 minutes, then at 175°C for the remaining one and a half hours until golden brown.

Then allow to cool.

Step 6

When the pies are cold, it is time to add the gelatine. Mix one part jelly powder with 10 parts boiling water.

Zoe uses the turkey baster to inject the liquid through the hole in the lid.

Chill the pies, and once the gelatine is set, a second lot of liquid gelatine is injected into the pies.

This ensures the mixture fills the entire cavity. Chill once more, then watch them fly out of the shop! You should now have pies fit for prizes.

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