Turkey (and Ham) Pie

A meat pie made from Christmas leftovers is one of the highlights of the Christmas holidays in my family.

It's an easy recipe, just scatter the ingredients into a shallow dish, cover with a rolled out layer of shop bought puff pastry and bung in the oven!

Roughly chop left over turkey, breast meat, leg meat, skin, etc (even the crispy bits of skin are ok, they soften in the pie and add lots of flavour). If you have leftover ham or gammon, you can chop some of this as well, and add to the dish.

Pour (or spoon, if its set) left over gravy over the chopped meat. Dot dollops of leftover bread sauce over the pie mix. If you don't have much, or any, leftover gravy or bread sauce, you can add left over turkey stock, a bit of turkey fat and a slosh of cream (single, double, any kind, but not the sweetened variety).

Add a shake of black pepper, and sprinkle over about half a teaspoon of ground mixed spice.

Roll out a pack of puff pastry to fit the dish. Put over the top of the pie, and press onto the edges of the dish. Cut a cross in the centre of the pastry with a sharp knife (if it's a big dish, you may want to use a pie funnel).

Brush the top with a little bit of milk and bake in a hot oven (180C) for 30-40 minutes.

It's good eaten on its own, with some leftover veg, or with some freshly cooked carrots and green veg and some fresh gravy.

Notes:

1. If you're not adding ham or gammon, you may want to add a sprinkle of salt to the pie mix.

2. The secret ingredient that makes this pie is leftover bread sauce, which makes the pie extra delicious, but if you don't have any, it will still taste fine.

3. If you wish, you can add leftover stuffing or cooked vegetables to the pie, or a finely chopped onion, fried until it's soft. Anything goes with this pie!