Don’t forget, those of you who haven’t joined already, to become members of The Memory Lane Book Club on Facebook where you’ll be kept informed of what myself and the other Memory Lane authors are up to and have the chance to win some lovely prizes. Thank you all so much for your continued support and the lovely reviews and messages you send me. They mean the world and make all the hours I spend locked away with my imaginary characters worthwhile.

And so now I suppose all that remains is for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one for all of us.

Have a wonderful time with your nearest and dearest,

With love

Rosie xxx

Meat and Potato Pie

Meat and Potato Pie

A firm favourite of the servants of Greenwood House. Warm and filling, this meat and potato pie is a perfectly wholesome dish for a long winter’s evening.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the pie filling

• 350g stewing beef, chopped into chunks

• 125g onion, diced

• 50g carrot, diced

• 25g celery, diced

• 1 bay leaf

• 50ml Worcesertshire sauce

• 1 tbsp oil

• 250g potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the pastry

• 300g flour

• 75g lard

• 75g butter

• 4–6 tbsp water

• Pinch of salt

• 1 egg

Recipe

1. For the pie filling, put the beef and diced onions into a large, lidded saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the contents of the pan with water and bring to boil. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer gently for two and a half hours, or until the meat is tender.

2. Once the meat is tender, add the carrot and celery and cook for 20 minutes. Add the bay leaf and Worcesertshire sauce and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half.

3. Preheat the oven to 200oC/400oF/Gas 6.

4. For the pastry, tip the flour and salt into a bowl, and add the cubes of butter and lard. Using your fingertips, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture has a breadcrumb texture. Add the water and mix until the pastry begins to come together. Knead the dough lightly, shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until the beef mixture is cooked.

5. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and set aside.

6. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Cut a small amount of pastry and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a 3mm thickness. Cut the pastry into thin strips. Dampen the rim of a pie dish with water, and line the rim with the thin strips of pastry.