Charlotte Pike

Award-winning food writer Charlotte Pike
Recipes, foodie guides and news from my kitchen

Recipes

Pheasant, Leek and Tarragon Pie

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This is a delicious pie, with a rich and creamy sauce, but plenty of freshness from the leeks and tarragon. It was published in the Easter Edition of Countryman’s Weekly, and my postbag has been positively bulging with emails from those of you who have enjoyed making this recipe. So, please do enjoy and tell me if you make it!

Pheasant, Leek and Tarragon pie
Serves 4
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1093 calories
59 g
258 g
69 g
59 g
27 g
460 g
510 g
5 g
0 g
37 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
460g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1093
Calories from Fat 615
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 69g
106%
Saturated Fat 27g
137%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 7g
Monounsaturated Fat 30g
Cholesterol 258mg
86%
Sodium 510mg
21%
Total Carbohydrates 59g
20%
Dietary Fiber 3g
13%
Sugars 5g
Protein 59g
Vitamin A
48%
Vitamin C
18%
Calcium
13%
Iron
35%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 600g pheasant breasts, trimmed of fat and any shot
  2. 50g butter
  3. 4 large leeks, cut into 1cm thick slices
  4. Sea salt and black pepper
  5. 200ml chicken stock
  6. 200ml double cream
  7. Leaves from 5 sprigs fresh French tarragon
  8. 1 x 375g (appx) sheet ready rolled all butter puff pastry
  9. 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
  1. Cut the pheasant breast into large strips or chunks. Melt half of the butter in a large non-stick frying pan, and add the pheasant. Cook for around 4 minutes to lightly brown the meat. Set aside, add the rest of the butter to the pan, and add the leeks. Cook over a moderate heat for around 15 minutes, until the leeks are softened, but not coloured. Add the pheasant back into the pan and season well with salt and pepper.
  2. Next, add the stock and cream, stir well and simmer gently for another 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened. Transfer the pie filling to a pie dish and set aside to cool. The dish I use is 25x12cm.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 5. Roughly chop the tarragon leaves and stir through the pie filling. Top with the pastry sheet and brush that with beaten egg. Cut a cross or make a whole in the middle of the pastry sheet to allow the steam to escape. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is a rich brown and well risen.
  4. I like to serve this with lots of green vegetables. The sauce is thinner than some pies and therefore coats the vegetables nicely. Potatoes can be served with the pie too, if you like.
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calories
1093
fat
69g
protein
59g
carbs
59g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree

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Having tried dozens of kedgeree recipes, I think this one is the best. It’s rich, spicy and surprisingly complex in flavour and adapted from the recipe in Leith’s Fish Bible. Make sure you taste and adjust the seasoning once everything is assembled, as I think it often needs a bit more salt at the very end.

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree
Serves 4
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
30 min
570 calories
55 g
163 g
29 g
23 g
17 g
246 g
261 g
3 g
1 g
10 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
246g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 570
Calories from Fat 256
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 29g
45%
Saturated Fat 17g
85%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 163mg
54%
Sodium 261mg
11%
Total Carbohydrates 55g
18%
Dietary Fiber 4g
15%
Sugars 3g
Protein 23g
Vitamin A
22%
Vitamin C
68%
Calcium
6%
Iron
11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 250g Basmati rice (use white or brown, but white is much quicker to cook)
  2. 125g butter
  3. 1 medium white onion, peeled and finely chopped
  4. 5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
  5. 1 large green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  6. 2 large whole fillets natural smoked haddock, skin removed and cut into 3cm chunks
  7. 1 heaped tsp turmeric
  8. 1 heaped tsp good quality curry powder (choose your preferred heat)
  9. Sea salt
  10. Halved boiled eggs, to serve (one per person is usually enough, unless you like more)
  11. Lemon wedges, to serve
  12. Fresh coriander, to serve (optional)
Instructions
  1. Start by boiling the rice according to pack instructions.
  2. Whilst the rice is cooking, place half of the butter into a separate large frying pan and melt over a moderate heat. Add the onion and cook for around 5 minutes, until it softens and becomes translucent. Be sure to keep the heat under control so that the onion does not colour.
  3. Then, add the ginger, chilli and fish and cook for a further 5 minutes. The fish will start to cook in the butter.
  4. Put the eggs on to boil in a separate pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 7 minutes, then drain.
  5. Add the spices to the pan with the fish, and stir fry to cook the spices. Continue to cook until the fish is cooked though. It will flake into smaller pieces as it cooks, so stir gently so as not to break it up completely.
  6. By this time, the Basmati rice should be cooked. Spoon the rice into the pan with the fish and add the rest of the butter. Stir gently, but thoroughly, to ensure the rice is evenly coated in the spicy butter.
  7. Peel the eggs now and cut them in half. Give the kedgeree a final stir, season and adjust accordingly. It may need a bit more salt, it may need a bit more butter if it’s on the dry side, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
  8. Serve on warmed plates with more lemon wedges and fresh coriander for some extra colour.
Adapted from from Leith's Fish Bible
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calories
570
fat
29g
protein
23g
carbs
55g
more
Adapted from from Leith's Fish Bible
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/

 

 

Homemade sausage rolls

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This is a very flexible recipe. Good quality sausage meat makes an excellent filling, and it is pre-seasoned, too. You can add extra flavours to the meat if you wish, such as dried chopped fruit, maybe apricots, or fresh herbs, such as sage. Try a sprinkling of sesame seeds on top of the pastry for an extra layer of flavour. I often do half and half.

Good quality sausage meat and all butter pastry make all the difference here.

Make large sausage rolls for lunch or a picnic, or mini sausage rolls to serve with drinks. Either way, I promise you they’ll be gone in a flash.

Homemade Sausage Rolls
Yields 10
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
40 min
388 calories
18 g
55 g
30 g
12 g
8 g
97 g
435 g
0 g
0 g
19 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
97g
Yields
10
Amount Per Serving
Calories 388
Calories from Fat 268
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 30g
46%
Saturated Fat 8g
42%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 15g
Cholesterol 55mg
18%
Sodium 435mg
18%
Total Carbohydrates 18g
6%
Dietary Fiber 1g
5%
Sugars 0g
Protein 12g
Vitamin A
2%
Vitamin C
2%
Calcium
6%
Iron
13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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Ingredients
  1. 375g pack all butter puff pastry, ready rolled
  2. 500g sausage meat
  3. Sea salt and black pepper
  4. 1 egg, beaten
  5. Optional
  6. 2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped, such as sage
  7. 4 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Set out a large non-stick baking tray.
  2. Roll out the pastry if yours is not pre-rolled. It needs to be about 3-4mm thick.
  3. Form the sausage meat into an even cylinder shape, around 4-5cm in diameter for large sausage rolls and 2-3cm for small sausage rolls.
  4. Start with the pastry set out in front of you in a rectangle in landscape form. Lay the sausage meat evenly along the length of the pastry right up to the very edge on each side, around 1/3 of the way down the height.
  5. Fold the top of the pastry back over the sausage meat, ensuring it is tidily wrapped around the sausage meat. Where the seam sits on the top side of the pastry, cut carefully to form a small handle.
  6. Cut the sausage rolls into individual pieces by slicing through the width of the large roll using a sharp knife. Transfer each roll to a baking tray, spreading them out well. Use a table work with long thin tines to gently press on the ‘handle’ to stick the pastry together. Brush with beaten egg and slash the tops, if you wish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you wish to use them and bake the sausage rolls until they are puffed and a rich, golden brown. This should take 15-25 minutes.
  7. Transfer to a wire rack and allow them to cool before serving either warm or completely cold. They will keep for up to 5 days.
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calories
388
fat
30g
protein
12g
carbs
18g
more
Charlotte Pike https://www.charlottepike.co.uk/