Pie

Happy British Pie Week to you all! Is there anything more British than the humble pie? The queen, perhaps - but we’re certain she loves pies too. For this reason, we’ve decided to share some of the best pie recipes we’ve stumbled across with you! We’ve chosen a bit of everything, ranging from sweet to savoury, meaty to vegetarian, so there’s a pie to suit everyone.

While we're here, we thought we’d share an interesting fact with you too. Back in the day (that day being medieval times), pie baking was almost a competitive sport, and many chefs would place live birds underneath the lid of their pie to create a spectacular scene when the pie was cut into. That’s where the ‘sing a song of sixpence’ nursery rhyme came from. Interesting, right? 

With this knowledge, you can now go ahead and make one of our best pie recipes,  feeling happy that you know some of the humble pie's heritage. Happy baking!

Recipes:

 

Products You May Find Helpful

Mini Pie Tins
£5.99 inc V.A.T.
Large Pie Tin
£4.99 inc V.A.T.
Fluted Tart Tin
£4.99 inc V.A.T.
 

The Great British Bake Off is well underway, and to say we're loving it, would be an understatement. It's week 4 of the show and - for the very first time - it is batter week! So, with that being said, we've decided to share with you a batter based recipe that you can have a go at making at home.

The recipe we're featuring on our site today is a Traditional Yorkshire Pudding, but this Yorkshire pud isn't like your normal puddings - this one is a giant Yorkshire pudding! This recipe is from BBC Good Food, and is by the legendary Delia Smith! If you're looking for a Yorkshire pudding to accompany your Sunday roast, you won't find one better than this one.

Ingredients:

  • 175g/6oz of Plain Flour
  • 2 Free-Range Eggs
  • 175ml/6fl oz of Milk (Whole or semi-skimmed)
  • 110ml/4fl oz of Water
  • 2 tbsp of Beef Dripping
  • Salt and freshly milled Black Pepper

Method:

Step 1 - Preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.

Step 2 - Begin by sifting the flour into a large mixing bowl. Hold the sieve up high to give it a good airing as it goes down into the bowl.

Step 3 - With a back of a table spoon, make well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Add the salt and pepper.

Step 4 - Mix the water and milk into a measuring jug, and then begin to whisk the eggs with an electric whisk. As the you beat them the flour around the edges will slowly be incorporated.

Step 5 - When the mixture begins to become stiff, add the milk and water gradually, keeping the whisk going.

Step 6 - Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spactula, so that any lumps can be pushed down into the batter, then continue to whisk again until it's smooth.

Step 7 - Now that the mixture is ready you can begin cooking. Remove the meat from the oven (or if it's not ready, place it on a lower shelf) and turn the oven up to the above temperature.

Step 8 - Spoon two tablespoons of beef fat into the roasting tin and allow it to pre-heat in the oven.

Step 9 - When the oven is up o temperature, remove the tin and place it over a direct heat (turned to medium). Once the fat begins to shimmer and smoke a little, pour the batter evenly around the tin. 

Step 10 - Place on the high shelf in the oven and cook the Yorkshire pudding for 40 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. To serve cut into squares or you could use it as a Yorkshire pudding plate for the rest of your roast dinner.

 

This terrific recipe and image is from BBC Good Food.

Looking for the perfect roast to go with this superb Yorkshire pudding, take a look at this Roast Leg of Lamb Recipe.

Products You May Find Helpful

Scones

Summertime is here (although you may not have noticed given the weather we've been having of late) and you know what that means...summer tea parties! And you simply can't have a proper British tea party without some proper British scones.

We're huge fans of scones here at British Bakeware - they're so simple yet simultaneously so delicious and tasty. Mind you, the humble scone is no stranger to a bit of controversy: for centuries, there has raged a great debate as to how the word 'scone' ought to be pronounced. Does it rhyme with 'cone', or with 'gone'? We may never reach a true consensus, just as we'll probably never decide once and for all whether it's the cream or the jam that goes on first!

Whatever your personal preferences, though, there's one thing we can all agree: scones are brilliant! If you're looking to bake some scones of your own, we highly recommend that you check out this recipe from Jane's Patisserie! Jane is an incredibly talented baker, and her buttery scone recipe is really simple to follow.

If you're thinking of baking this magnificent treat, you may need one of the items listed below...

 

Products You May Find Helpful

bruschetta

As the Queen is celebrating a rather special birthday today, we thought that we'd share a royalty themed recipe for those who are planning to celebrate on behalf of Her Majesty.

Since the invention of coronation chicken for the banquet of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953, this popular sandwich staple has become a British classic, commonly included on party buffet tables and in work lunch boxes everywhere. It has also become the go-to dish for any royal celebration, which is why we thought it would be the perfect recipe to share with you on the day of this incredible milestone for the British Monarchy.

Although this recipe is all about tradition, we wanted to offer you something with a slight twist on its everyday form, which is why we chose this delicious brschetta recipe from Al Brown over at Bite

Ingredients:

  • A Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • A Ciabatta Loaf 
  • 2 Cups of Ready-Cooked, Diced Chicken
  • A Squeeze of Mayonnaise 
  • 2 Tbsp of Apricot Jam
  • A Sprinkle of Curry Powder
  • 1 Handful of Dried Currants

Instructions:

Step 1 - Begin by preheating your grill,  then cut your ciabatta loaf into thin slices.

Step 2 - Place your bread onto the grill pan, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and cook until each slice is crispy around the edges.

Step 3 - In a bowl, combine the chicken with mayonnaise and apricot jam. Taste the mixture as you go, to ensure that you have your desired levels or creaminess and sweetness.

Step 4 - Once the base ingredients are combined, add in your desired amount of curry powder, along with a sprinkling of currants for added texture.

Step 5 - Stack equal servings of the coronation chicken onto the slices of bruschetta, and enjoy!

Products You May Find Helpful

Small Grill Pan
£12.49 inc V.A.T.
Large Grill Pan
£15.95 inc V.A.T.
Extra Large Grill Pan
£19.99 inc V.A.T.

Cherry Bakewell Cookies

It’s time to share another fantastic recipe from Sammie at Feasting is Fun! This time, we have these delicious looking cherry Bakewell cookies for you to have a go at making at home. These little beauties were made using our large baking tray, the perfect size for a large batch of cookies.

Cherry Bakewell cookies may not be the first type of cookie you think of, but after reading this brilliant recipe from Sammie at Feasting is Fun, you will wonder why you didn’t think of these cookies sooner! If you love baking cookies, you will certainly love these cookies with glacé cherries and flaked almonds, they are perfect with afternoon cup of tea. This recipe will make roughly 20 cookies, so you can ask your family and friends around to try one of your tasty cherry Bakewell cookies!

 

Ingredients:

For the Cookies

  • 225g of unsalted butter
  • 150g of caster sugar
  • 225g of plain white flour
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 100g of flaked almonds
  • 100g of chopped glacé cherries
  • A quarter of tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract

For the Drizzle

  • 200g of icing sugar
  • Some tap water
  • 1 tsp of almond extract

Instructions:

Step 1-Take a large mixing bowl and add the 225g of unsalted butter, the 150g of caster sugar and ¼ tsp of salt. Whisk this all together until it is a deliciously creamy consistency. Add in the large egg yolk and the tsp of vanilla extract. If you don’t want to make the drizzle, you can add some almond extract here as well. As before, mix together well.

Step 2-Add in your flaked almonds to one side of the bowl, the flour to the other side of the bowl, and the cherries on top of the flour. This is a handy tip from Sammie as she says by doing this, the cherries won’t stick together and will be evenly spread out in the cookie dough! Mix together again until combined.

Step 3-Wipe your work surface down with a damp cloth before laying cling film over it, this should help it stay in the correct place. Take around half of your cookie dough and roll in to a log shape with a diameter of around 4cm. Once you have done this, do the same with the other half of your cookie dough. Place both cookie dough rolls in the fridge to cool for about an hour until they are both firm.

Step 4- Preheat your oven to about 175 degrees/160 degrees for a fan oven. Slice the cookie dough in to 1.5cm thick disks. Line your large baking tray with baking paper and place them on to your large baking tray with room in between each cookie. Bake for no longer than 15 minutes before removing from your oven to cool for 15 minutes.

Step 5-After cooling, transfer to a large cooling rack for further cooling. It is important to ensure the cookies are completely cool before you start to ice them. In a small bowl, add the icing sugar and almond extract before adding tap water a little bit at a time to help it reach the correct thickness. You will know the icing sugar is ready when you can make a figure 8 shape when you drizzle the icing sugar on itself.

Step 6-Drizzle the icing over your cherry bakewell cookies using a spoon, or even a piping bag, whatever you have to hand. Ensure the icing is completely dry before serving or storing these delicious cherry bakewell cookies! Now put the kettle on and enjoy this fantastic recipe from Sammie at Feasting is Fun!

Feasting Is Fun 

Products You May Find Helpful

Large Baking Tray
£6.95 inc V.A.T.
Biscuit Baking Tray
£9.95 inc V.A.T.
Baking Sheet
£5.99 inc V.A.T.