I was talking to my friend Sian from Hydro2Plate about this dish recently and she asked about the recipe so I thought I’d share it with you too. To be honest I have absolutely no idea where it came from or what the original recipe actually was although I do remember it started out life as a ham hock and leek filo topped pie. I’ve played around with the recipe a lot over the years and one of the things I love about it is the versatility of it; you can substitute most of the ingredients for something else depending on what you fancy or have available, the only things you definitely need are the ham hock, the chicken (otherwise it just won’t be Chicken and Ham Hock Pie!). I have used the filling in various types of pie (filo topped, puff pastry topped, short-crust pastry cased and potato topped), as a pasta sauce and pasta bake, a jacket potato filling, and on its own with chips or new potatoes. I think it would also make for a great pasty or filling for 80’s favourite the vol au vent, I’m sure it’d go with things I haven’t even thought of yet too, do let me know if you find any good variations.

So when I say recipe I use this term very loosely I am not a weights and measures kinda gal nor do I tend to time things but I will do my best for you! I am also assuming you have at least a little cooking experience. I’m working on the potato topped pie but if you prefer pastry or you want to stir it into pasta then just add your favourite pastry or cooked pasta.

Shopping List

For the mash:

• Potatoes (I quite like Maris Piper or Vivaldi)
• Milk (or cream if you prefer)
• Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cheese for the top (whichever your favourite is, red Leicester and cheddar both work well)

For the filling:

• Boneless Chicken breasts or thighs cut into chunks (around 400g)
• Shredded ham hock (around 200g)
• 1-2 leeks cut into slices 1-2cm thick
• 300ml pot of double cream (ideally extra thick)
• 175g tub of garlic and herb cream cheese
• Mushrooms
• Sweetcorn and/or peas (petit pois work perfectly)

Method

Firstly prepare your potatoes and get them boiling, how many you need depends largely on their size and the size of the pot you are covering I always err on the side of caution and do too many, you can always refrigerate any extra and make fish cakes or something.

Once your potatoes are bubbling away set your timer for around 20 mins (I always forget them concentrating on my chicken and end up with mush if I don’t set a timer) prepare your leeks and put them on to boil they’ll probably need around 8-10 mins but they should come out while they’re still a little crunchy as they’ll carry on cooking in the sauce. While the leeks are boiling, in a large, deep frying pan fry off your chicken in a little oil/cooking spray/butter. When the chicken is cooked through add your mushrooms, sweetcorn (and/or peas) and cooked, drained leeks and continue to fry until the mushrooms are cooked, it’ll only take another couple of minutes. Pour over the cream and add the whole tub of cream cheese (that’s right, the whole tub, this is not a low calorie meal!). Keep stirring until the cream cheese is fully mixed in then cover and leave to simmer (not boil) and stir occasionally. Now is a good time to put your oven on (200C/180C fan/GM6) and put your pie dish in to pre-heat. When the potatoes are ready drain and mash them I usually keep the pan over a very low heat while I’m mashing potatoes it helps everything come together and keeps it all warm.

When your mash is ready get your dish out of the oven (use gloves, it might be empty but it’s still hot, I forgot once and my hands really smarted for days after) fill about 2/3 deep with your chicken and ham mixture and then cover the top 1/3 with mash and grate or slice over your cheese. Put the whole thing in the oven until your cheese is golden brown and bubbling and lush (whoever first thought to grill cheese was an absolute genius in my opinion). Then serve (maybe with garlic bread on the side) and enjoy.

Substitution recommendations

As I said earlier this is not a low calorie dish but you can make it a little healthier by using light cream cheese, making your mash with skimmed milk and olive oil (instead of butter), using a little milk instead of cream in the sauce and leaving the cheese off the top.

If you would prefer to add your own herbs/garlic just get plain cream cheese. Onions work just as well as leeks. If you don’t have mushrooms and cream you can use a can of creamed mushrooms or a thick mushroom soup instead. If you don’t like something, leave it out and add extra of the other bits to compensate. Play around, make it your own.

Let me know how it goes if you make this and what you think. I’d love to hear about your own variations as well.