Cheese & Onion Pie

This is as simple as it is traditional and tasty. We have replaced Lancashire cheese with Brie and added a few herbs to the traditional English recipe. For those of you with cold hands and warm hearts, you can make your own shortcrust pastry but a shop-bought variety would also be fine. This is a fine meal on its own but also goes well with bacon and cabbage. 

SERVES 6 

Ingredients

25g butter 

3 large onions, sliced 

a dash of white wine 

a sprig of fresh thyme 

salt and freshly ground black 

pepper 

150ml water 

400g shortcrust pastry 

300g young Brie or a full 

Camembert, sliced 

milk to glaze the pastry 

You will need a greased 20cm pie dish. Preheat the oven to 

180°C. 

Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat.  

Add the onions and cook slowly until they are soft. Turn up the heat to medium and add the dash of wine, sprig of thyme, and season with salt and pepper. 

Cook off the liquid entirely and then add about half the water. Cook until all the moisture is gone again and then leave the onion to cool while you roll out the pastry. 

Take two thirds of the pastry and roll out to cover the base and sides of the pie dish. 

Spread half the onions over the base and top with half of the cheese slices. Repeat with the remaining onions and cheese. 

Roll out the remaining pastry to a size that will nicely fit over the top of the pie. Brush the edges with milk, place the pie lid on top. Press the edges together with a fork to seal. 

Place in the centre of the preheated oven and cook for about 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. 

Serve warm with a tangy green salad or a good serving of bacon and cabbage