Recipe
Cheese & Onion Pie
A proper British cheese & onion pie with sweet, slow-cooked onions, mature Cheddar, mustard and crisp shortcrust pastry. A rich, comforting vegetarian centrepiece for chips, peas or baked beans.
Ingredients
Method
25 mins prep55 mins cook80 mins total
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onions with a small pinch of salt and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft and lightly golden.
Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
Sprinkle over the flour and stir well. Cook for 1–2 minutes, then gradually stir in the milk until you have a thick sauce coating the onions.
Stir in the mustard, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from the heat, leave for 5 minutes, then stir in both cheeses. Taste and add salt only if needed.
Transfer the filling to a bowl and allow it to cool completely.
Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Put a sturdy baking tray in the oven to heat.
Divide the pastry roughly two-thirds to one-third. Roll out the larger piece and use it to line a lightly greased 20–22cm pie dish, leaving a little pastry overhanging the edge.
Spoon in the cooled filling and spread it evenly.
Roll out the remaining pastry for the lid. Brush the rim with beaten egg, place the lid on top and press the edges together. Trim and crimp the edges, then cut a small steam hole in the centre.
Brush the lid generously with beaten egg. Chill the assembled pie for 10 minutes if you have time.
Place the pie dish on the hot baking tray and bake for 35–40 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp.
Leave the pie to stand for 10–15 minutes before slicing, then serve.
Notes
For a stronger cheese flavour, replace some of the Cheddar with Lancashire, Red Leicester or Double Gloucester.
The filling should be thick rather than pourable. A preheated baking tray helps the pastry base bake through cleanly.
About this recipe
Sweet, slowly cooked onions make the filling for this proper British cheese & onion pie deeply savoury rather than simply creamy. Mature Cheddar, a little Lancashire cheese, English mustard and a pinch of nutmeg bring plenty of flavour, while shortcrust pastry bakes into a crisp, golden shell.
Cool the filling before assembling so the pastry stays firm, then bake the pie on a preheated tray for a well-coloured base. Serve it as a comforting vegetarian main with chunky chips and peas, or with steamed vegetables and gravy.
