Chicken, Ham & Mustard Pie

Ingredients

• 600g boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 300ml hot chicken stock
• 30g plain flour
• 200g mushrooms, halved
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 100ml whole milk
• 100ml double cream
• 25g butter
• 150g smoked ham, sliced into strips
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 large egg, beaten (for glaze)
• 375g ready-rolled puff pastry
• Buttered peas and greens, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve
• Fresh chives, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
2. Tip in the chicken and fry until sealed and just starting to colour, 5–6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and ham for the last 3 minutes so they take on a little colour but stay meaty.
3. Stir the flour through the pan and cook for 1 minute to take off the raw edge. Slowly pour in the hot stock and milk, scraping the base of the pan, then simmer gently until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4–5 minutes.
4. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and double cream, season generously with salt and pepper, and simmer 2 minutes more — the sauce should be glossy and spoonable. Loosen with a splash of milk if it tightens up too much. Transfer to a pie dish and leave to cool for 10 minutes so it won't sog the pastry.
5. Lay the puff pastry over the dish, trim the overhang and crimp the edges with a fork or your thumb. Brush all over with the beaten egg and cut two small vents in the top to let the steam out.
6. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden, puffed and crisp and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
7. Rest the pie for 5 minutes so the filling settles. Serve in generous slices with buttery mash and greens, finished with a scattering of chives and a crack of black pepper.