Mary Berry's Humble Pie recipe has been described as straightforward and simple to make, and it is packed with flavour. The television chef called it: "Hearty, warming and a real treat!"
A vegetarian pie full of flavour
The recipe, featured on Happy Foodie, is a hearty and warming vegetarian pie filled with a creamy, cheesy cauliflower, mushroom and petit pois filling. It was seen on Mary Makes It Easy on BBC2. The pie can be prepared in advance, making it a convenient option for chilly autumn evenings.
Home cooks who have tried the recipe have given it favourable feedback. One reviewer commented: "It's fabulous, but I did another pie adding chicken, and that was lovely. It's a great recipe and so easy, thank you, Mary!"
Home cooks share their verdict
Another person wrote: "I made the filling the day before, then put the pastry top on today just before baking. I served it with green beans and hasselback potatoes. Absolutely yummy, this recipe doesn't need tweaking in any way. Highly recommend this."
A third person remarked: "Made this and it was delicious. I added some cooked ham hock with it the second time, and we preferred it with the addition of the ham. Will definitely be making it again."
Ingredients and method
Mary Berry's Humble Pie recipe serves six people. Ingredients include one large cauliflower, two leeks trimmed and cut into 2cm slices, 115g frozen petit pois, a 375g packet of ready-rolled puff pastry, a knob of butter, 200g button mushrooms halved, and one beaten egg.
For the cheese sauce, you will need 55g butter, 55g plain flour, 450ml hot milk, two tsp Dijon mustard, 115g mature Cheddar grated, and 55g Parmesan grated.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Use a deep 28cm diameter dish or a three-pint dish. Cut the cauliflower into small, uniformly-sized florets. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the leeks and cook for four minutes. Add the cauliflower florets and leaves, return to the boil for three minutes until just tender, then drain and rinse under cold water. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
Assembling the pie
Prepare the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Scatter the flour and stir for a minute. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking until thickened. Stir in the mustard, Cheddar and Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cool for five minutes.
In a pan over high heat, melt the butter and fry the mushrooms for three minutes until golden, seasoning with salt and pepper. Leave to one side to cool. Combine all the cold vegetables and frozen peas with the cheese sauce and stir thoroughly. Adjust the seasoning before spooning the mixture into the pie dish.
Unroll the pastry and cut away a 7cm strip from the short side to refrigerate. Roll out the remaining pastry until slightly larger than the pie dish. Brush beaten egg around the rim of the dish, lay the pastry over the top, press the edges firmly to seal, trim any excess, and cut a small slit in the centre to allow steam to escape. Glaze the top with beaten egg.
Roll out the reserved strip of pastry until thinner. Using a sharp knife, cut into long, thin strips. Coat them in egg wash and arrange across the top of the pie in a random pattern. Place in the oven for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown and the sauce begins to bubble around the edges.
