Woolton Pie, possibly one of the most heard about and recognised recipes of the war years and one that cost pennies to make, was very nutritious and very filling.
If you are making it for yourself don't stress about the filling, just use some of your favourite vegetables, the leftovers from the bottom of the fridge drawer at the end of the week, or if you have nothing fresh in the house raid the freezer for an assortment of frozen veggies.
All you need are enough part cooked vegetables to fill your chosen pie dish and a bit of sauce to moisten them. I used some Bisto gravy made up quite thickly and saved the excess to heat up later to pour over my pie, but you could use a white sauce, a curry sauce, a tomato based sauce ... the possibilities for scavenging from the cupboard are endless.
The vegetables are then topped with either a pastry lid or with freshly made or leftover mashed potatoes, it can be straight away if you are ready to pop your pie into a medium to hot oven for around 20-25 minutes, or as I have done here ... leave them to go cold ready for finishing off at tea time.
A good basic recipe is in this book, which is an amalgamation of three other wartime nostalgia recipe books, We'll Eat Again, The Victory Cookbook and Post-War Kitchen all brought together in one handy book, which is my bedtime reading for this week.
This week I am using up the roll of ready made Puff Pastry (and forfeiting most of my fat ration), so I simply out a circle out and topped it with that. Last time I made it we had it with a mashed potato top which we both thought was not quite as nice. The whole thing was excessively 'vegetably', whereas a pastry lid adds a bit more texture to the dish and we thought just made it more satisfying.
I think I will be trying the Potato Pastry version next time, from doing the Wartime Ration Challenge a few years ago I remember the Potato Pastry being very successful and very tasty.
Sue xx
Made it once with parsnips included - not good - it became just a parsnip pie!
ReplyDeleteYes, they can be overpowering. Don’t think I made it very often.
DeleteI think that's one of the reasons I don't like parsnips very much. I'll put an odd one into a pan of soup, but I rarely buy them.
DeleteI think I'll be making it regularly, it was very good 😄
DeleteI sometimes bol parsnips with potatoes and then mash them together - perhaps you could use them that way....
DeleteI feel like putting a pie lid on just about anything levels the meal up. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely. I just love pastry 😄
DeleteThat looks lovely. I think I’ll add that to my Week 4 menu.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice and simple, and a brilliant way to use up all leftover or excess veg. :-)
DeleteI used up Christmas leftovers by shredding small bits of turkey & hame with lots of veg and then adding a cheese sauce (admittedly packaged) and then topped it with mashed potato - really tasty and used up bits & pieces that I already had on hand - which I think is the spirit of this recipe. But just veggies in a nice gravy sound lovely to me.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it was just used as a way to use up leftovers, bits of meat could easily be added to the veggies and of course meaty gravy used if you had some over after a Sunday lunch or similar.
DeleteThat pie looks very tasty so I'm going to give it a go soon. Thanks so much for sharing the photos Sue. Pastry on a pie is so very satisfying ;)
ReplyDeleteOh pastry is just delicious isn't it, and really does turn leftovers into a brilliant meal.
DeleteThis made me smile. A local pub outside Bury
ReplyDeletehave this on their menu. Your post just reminded me.
I'm not surprised, it's a real Northern dish. I'd definintely order this if I saw it on a menu. :-)
DeleteI have that book which I bought from a charity shop. Its very good. Your pie looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteIt really is a good book isn't it. Lots of interesting facts and figures and funny little rhymes as well as the recipes, and the photos are great.
DeleteLooks so good, I'm drooling again♥ xx
ReplyDeleteYou're turning into a proper little drooler!!
DeleteThanks I had wondered what exactly that pie was. I might have to add some chicken or turkey to it for my carnivore of a husband.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Meat would be very easily added to it. Any leftovers after a main meal can just be chopped and left to cool ready for use the next day.
DeleteI've read many times of Woolton Pie but never been tempted to make it until I read your post. I'm on a bit of a frugal binge at the moment, it being the start of the new year and all that entails. I'm sure I will recover shortly and forget all about frugal, but..... I'd bought a Barbequed chook for $10 and wondered how many meal it could make if I was determined to be super frugal. So far it's made 2 dinners and two lunches and I think I can make it stretch to another 4 or perhaps even 6 meals. Astonishing value for a measly $10. Anyhoo, last night some of it went into Woolton Pie and it was a winner as it was amazingly delicious. Ingredients were: a parsimonious quantity of chook, cubes of potato, sweet potato, slices of carrot, parsnip leek, peas, some tired shredded cheese, mushrooms all moistened with a water based thickened sauce topped with pastry. We at half and the other half will be eaten tonight served with a green salad. Thank you for mentioning it. I'm so glad I made it.
ReplyDeleteYours sounds like an absolute masterpiece ... much more interesting than mine :-)
DeleteSave the vegetable water to drink later hot or cold.
ReplyDeleteI always use the vegetable water to make up the Bisto, but having it as a drink or as the basis of a soup is a brilliant idea. :-)
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