Top five tips for perfect pies

In honour of National Pie Week, Maz, one of our tutors at the Vegetarian Society Cookery School, couldn’t resist sharing some top tips for making the perfect pie.

Read on to learn how to craft beautiful pastry and flavoursome fillings!

Flavour your pastry: A simple trick to enhance your pie is to add flavouring to the pastry before baking it. Spices like cumin and fennel work brilliantly in savoury pies, while cinnamon or nutmeg make a lovely addition to sweet fruit pies.

Enhance your glazes: You can also add flavouring such as crushed seeds, whole spices or smoked paprika to your pie’s glaze, adding warmth and colour. To add a shiny finish to a vegan pie, whisked aquafaba (chickpea juice) makes a great alternative to eggs.

Let your pastry rest: To avoid shrinkage when baking, it’s important to let your pastry rest, ideally in the shape of the finished pie. For example – if you’re making a round pie, shape the pastry into a flattish ball for the resting stage.

Be creative with your fillings: There are so many options for fillings – why not put your favourite dinner into a pie? Some tasty choices include bubble and squeak, veggie chilli or jackfruit pie – all delicious on their own, but even better encased in pastry!

Add some protein: To create a balanced meal, add some protein-rich food , such as beans, lentils or garden peas, to your savoury pie’s filling.

Want more cooking tips? Check out our cookery classes and get hands on as you chop, slice, dice and knead your way to delicious veggie and vegan dishes.