Chicken pot pie

400g plain white flour

150g butter, cut into 1cm cubes

85g margarine

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp iced water

(or substitute the above ingredients with two sheets of ready-made short crust pastry)

2 cooked chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cut into 1.5cm cubes

2 tbsp plain flour

50g butter

250ml milk

250ml cold chicken stock

6 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

salt and pepper

(makes one 9-inch pie)

In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, butter and margarine by working together with fingers, so a crumbly texture is formed. Add a little water to the mixture and work into a soft dough, adding small amounts of water if required, until the dough comes away cleanly from the bowl. Put the dough in the refrigerator.

After an hour, take just over half the dough and roll out on a cold, lightly floured surface using a rolling pin, into a circle large enough to cover base and sides of a lightly greased 9-inch oven tin.

In a small sauce pan, melt 50g bitter and add flour, mixing well over moderate heat. Add milk and cold stock, a little at a time, keep stirring all the time with a hand whisk until a thick white sauce is formed. Add a little salt and pepper. Add cooked chicken cubes and asparagus and stir well.

Fill the pie base with the chicken, asparagus and sauce. Roll out the rest of the pastry to form a lid. Put the lid on the pie and seal the edges with a fork. Prick a small venting hole in the middle of the lid. Trim excess pastry off the edge with a sharp knief. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C (375°F) for 50 minutes until the top is golden and the pastry and cooked through. Serve.

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