Hairy Bikers' homity pie recipe

Homity pie is a delicious combination of vegetables and cheese in a rich mustardy white sauce all topped with a buttery, flaky pastry. 

This is an excellent recipe for using up odds and ends in the fridge. The vegetables can be substituted depending on what you like and have and you could use a combination of cheeses if you don’t have enough cheddar. Si and Dave suggest making your own pastry but you can cheat with shop bought if you want to save time. 

Ingredients

For the pastry:

• 125g plain flour
• 125g wholemeal flour
• 150g cold butter, diced
• 1 egg, beaten

For the filling:

• 400g waxy potatoes, diced
• 300g carrots, diced
• 150g turnips, diced
• 200g small broccoli florets
• 15g butter
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 175g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 50ml milk or water
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 200ml double cream

Method

1. To make the pastry, put the plain and wholemeal flour into a food processor with the butter and a generous pinch of salt. Pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the egg and just enough cold water to bind the mixture together. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and leave it to chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
3. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the potatoes, carrots and turnips and bring the water back to the boil. Cook for 4 minutes, then add the broccoli.
4. Continue to cook until the vegetables are just done but still with a little bite to them – this will take about another 2 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
5. While the vegetables are cooking, melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, until the onions have softened and are lightly coloured. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan, Gas 6).
7. Put all the cooled vegetables into a large bowl. Add 100g of the cheese and the parsley, then mix thoroughly and set aside.
8. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 20cm cake tin or a deep pie dish. Spoon the filling over the pastry. Whisk the milk and mustard together until you have a thin paste, then stir this into the cream. Season with a little salt. Pour this mixture in a slow and steady stream over the filling so it soaks through the layers of vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
9. Bake the pie in the oven for 40–45 minutes until the pastry is crisp and lightly coloured and the cheese has melted and started to brown. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Top tips for making a homity pie 

Si and Dave say: ‘Popular in the seventies and eighties, homity pies were often seen as somewhat worthy – leathery, unappetising with a smug crust. But we thought this pie deserved a second look. 

This recipe is the grandson of those early pies and, we bashfully believe, a great improvement. We’ve cut down on the potatoes to make it less heavy and added some broccoli and other root veg – although you can vary these as you like. Celeriac and swede would also work well. A great veggie dish that can be enjoyed by all.'

Continue reading for ideas on how to make the recipe vegan and what to serve it with. 

The Hairy Bikers' British Classics: Over 100 recipes celebrating timeless cooking and the nation's favourite dishes by The Hairy Bikers (Orion, £25) - View at Amazon 

This book is a celebration of Si and Dave’s lifelong love affair with cooking. Inside this book you find more British classics including mini toad in the holes, devilled whitebait with green sauce and hearty mains including meatloaf with gravy and the Hairy Biker paella. 

For something meatier, try our popular chicken pie recipe. You might also like the Hairy Bikers steak and ale pie or our Turkey and ham pie.