Pork & ham pie
See this recipe step by step

Pork & ham pie

Gordon's delicious pork pie recipe is perfect for a buffet, picnic or grown-up lunch box

Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Cuts into 8 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

Plus cooling time

Method

  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then boil the eggs for exactly 7½ mins. Cool in cold water, peel and set aside. Tip the pork, sausagemeat, ham, sage and onion into a large bowl. Season generously and add a few shakes of Tabasco. Mix well with your hands until completely combined. Take about 1 tbsp of the mix, shape into a small burger and fry in a pan. Taste for seasoning. Slightly over-seasoned is perfect.
  2. Melt a few tbsps lard, brush a 1-litre terrine dish with an even layer of the melted fat, then dust with flour. To make the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl with 2 tsp salt. Put the lard and milk into a pan with 150ml water, then heat until the lard has completely melted. Pour into the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Tip onto the surface and knead until it all comes together.
  3. Cut a piece of baking parchment to fit the bottom and long sides of the terrine dish with some hanging over the edge. Take about two-thirds of the pastry dough and shape it into a rectangle roughly the width and length of the dish. Lay the dough into the terrine and, using your fingers, press it into the bottom, the corners and up the sides of the dish until it comes to the top and hangs over the rim a little.
  4. Take half the meat mixture and pat it into a shape that will fit the terrine dish, then lay it in. Use your fingers to make a trench down the middle of the meat. Trim the tops and bottoms off the eggs, lay them, in a row, along the trench, then season. Trimming the eggs like this ensures that each slice of pie will contain both egg white and yolk.
  5. Take the rest of the meat mixture, pat it out to a rectangle that will fit over the eggs, and press it over the top. Brush the overhang of the pastry with the beaten egg, then roll out the rest of the pastry to fit over the pie.
  6. Pinch edges together to fix the top. Brush top generously with egg and pierce three holes along the top. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 30 mins. Lower the heat to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, then continue to cook for another hour. Leave to cool. Carefully turn dish upside-down onto a board and use the sides of the paper to pull the pie out of the dish. If sides aren't brown enough, return it to the oven on a baking tray at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 until coloured. Cool, then chill in the fridge.
  7. If you want to fill the pie with jelly, soak the gelatine in cold water and warm the stock until hot, but not simmering. Remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze to remove excess liquid, then stir into the stock to dissolve. Leave to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a squeezy bottle. Pour the jelly into one of the holes until it comes to the top. Place the pie on a dish in the fridge until the jelly has set, then repeat twice more, so the jelly has filled each hole. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Try

Know how - Gelatine

You don't need to use gelatine but if you want to this is a good tip to improve the taste of the jelly. Gordon says: As I boil my own ham, I freeze ham stock to use for the jelly. If you have your own ham stock, boil it down by two-thirds to concentrate the flavour. You can also use homemade chicken stock that has been boiled down by half.

Know-how - Seasoning cold dishes

Gordon says: Whenever you make a dish that is to be served cold, you need to season it more than usual as chilling will dull the flavour. Make a small burger out of the mix, fry it and taste for seasoning. Slightly over-seasoned is perfect.

Know-how - Adding cooked meat

These pies are a great way to use up Christmas ham. You could also include leftover strips/cubes of turkey, chicken or game bird, as well as a handful of shelled pistachios, some chopped prunes or chopped, dried apricots.

Per slice

559 kcalories, protein 28g, carbohydrate 47g, fat 30 g, saturated fat 11g, fibre 2g, sugar 2g, salt 1.15 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2007.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 41-60

  • Binder photo spam

    31 December 2009

    spam rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo JosephJohn

    03 January 2010

    JosephJohn rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Amie

    23 February 2010

    Amie rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Narrowboat

    12 July 2010

    Narrowboat commented on this recipe

    I followed the Receipe faithfully and ended up with a very heavy and difficult to digest pie. The taste was there but i could have used it as a door stop. Next time will use much less meat and not press it in so hard round the eggs. Watch this space!

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  • Binder photo nina

    19 July 2010

    nina rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    i had to make this recipe even 3 times a week,my hubby loves it

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  • Binder photo Ella

    21 August 2010

    Ella rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I love pies and quiches since they are great when our friends come home for dinner. In general, I like to replace the standard baked ham with some jamon iberico de bellota - aka iberico ham or patanegra-. It is true that it is more expensive but the taste of the dish really improves making it way more refined. I buy my iberico ham at Buyjamon.com <a href="http://BuyJamon.com/"> BuyJamon.com the market place for iberico ham.</a>

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  • Binder photo Ella

    21 August 2010

    Ella commented on this recipe

    I love pies and quiches since they are great when our friends come home for dinner. In general, I like to replace the standard baked ham with some jamon iberico de bellota - aka iberico ham or patanegra-. It is true that it is more expensive but the taste of the dish really improves making it way more refined. I buy my iberico ham at Buyjamon.com <a href="http://BuyJamon.com/"> BuyJamon.com the market place for iberico ham.</a>

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  • Binder photo MUM5

    11 November 2010

    MUM5 commented on this recipe

    its in the oven will report back in an hour but looking good and easy to make .

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  • Binder photo MUM5

    13 November 2010

    MUM5 commented on this recipe

    well came out perfect in all ways, everyone enjoyed.

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  • Binder photo cake bakers

    11 December 2010

    cake bakers rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Excellent, easy recipe. For more flavour I added some fresh thyme and used good sausages with garlic and herbs. Will make again.

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  • Binder photo Philip Evans

    26 May 2011

    Philip Evans commented on this recipe

    Made this pie according to the recipe but the lid of the pie (basted with egg) was burnt after baking for only 5 minutes. How do you stop this? any suggestions please?

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  • Binder photo RUPERT

    14 July 2011

    RUPERT rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    this is fantastic

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  • Binder photo debswad

    26 November 2011

    debswad commented on this recipe

    Living in Italy the food here is amazing however we do miss the simple pleasures of Leicestershire . One of them the pork pie so I have made this every Christmas since it was published it reminds me of home and served with the sweet chilli chutney is amazing . I never have time to get the jelly in the pie because the aroma is so mouth watering the family have to eat it immediately

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  • Binder photo janjam

    26 November 2011

    janjam commented on this recipe

    Loved making this pie, a bit of a challenge! I made it earlier in the year and have frozen it wrapping it in greaseproof paper then tin foil, so I'm hoping it will be ok for Christmas!! I'll let you know!!

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  • Binder photo Deanrey123

    20 April 2012

    Deanrey123 commented on this recipe

    Cracking recipe Gordon(pun intended!). I was just wondering if anybody has any ideas for using the left over egg ends, as this seems such a waste when making a longer Pie?

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  • Binder photo Mary1962

    24 April 2012

    Mary1962 commented on this recipe

    Hi Deanrey, sounds like we are both thrifty cooks lol! Great question about the egg ends; I pondered over this when I made my first ham & egg pie. I have made this recipe many times and have used the ends in various ways. Here are just a few examples to wet your appetite: They are great tossed in to a crisp green salad, Sprinkled into various soups (smoked haddock, chicken noodle, leek and potato) or simply mixed with some mayonnaise and paprika and spread into a nice ham sandwich. Hope that was of some help and happy cooking.x

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  • Binder photo Amanda

    17 November 2012

    Amanda rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have made this a couple of times at Xmas and new year and everyone really enjoys it. My only problem is getting the pie out without damaging the crust. I have previously made in a 2lb loaf tin but this year have promised myself a terrine tin in case this is the root of my problem. Can anyone recommend a good one the right size for this pie?

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  • Binder photo Cheryl in Qatar

    16 December 2012

    Cheryl in Qatar commented on this recipe

    I cannot buy lard or shortening here for the pastry. Has anyone tried this recipe using vegetable suet instead and do you think it could work?

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  • Binder photo Woodley000

    07 January 2013

    Woodley000 commented on this recipe

    Absolutely delicious recipe very simple to make and the ingredients measures are perfect virtually no waste Just a small warning, mr Ramsey suggests making a small sample burger to check the seasoning, be strong and only test as needed I ended up yes ting about six because the mix is so delicious Can any one tell me if the finished pie is freezable?

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  • Binder photo Cheryl in Qatar

    16 January 2013

    Cheryl in Qatar commented on this recipe

    Well using suet for the shortening because I can't buy lard here worked perfectly. In fact my sister who has made this pie before reckons the pastry was an improvement on the original recipe and more like pork pie pastry. It was also easy getting it out of the tin. I just covered it lightly with tin foil during baking to prevent burning. I used 300ml of stock and added X3 gelatine leaves. I used 100 ml for each of three applications of jelly, just reheating gently each time when it set! Will definitely make this again.

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Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Cuts into 8 slices

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

Plus cooling time

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 400g minced pork
  • 200g good-quality pork sausagemeat
  • 140g cooked ham meat (see know-how), chopped into small chunks
  • small handful sage leaves
  • 1 small onion , finely chopped
  • few shakes Tabasco sauce
  • 2 leaves gelatine (optional, see Know-how)

FOR THE PASTRY

  • 100g lard , plus extra for greasing
  • 450g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • 1 egg , beaten
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Per slice

559 kcalories, protein 28g, carbohydrate 47g, fat 30 g, saturated fat 11g, fibre 2g, sugar 2g, salt 1.15 g

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