Why Do I Always Try Something New When I have Visitors? - Bacon and Egg Pie Recipe

Normal people bring out their tried and true, their guaranteed successes...but me, I try something new when I have visitors coming. In this instance a house guest I have never even met!

With the Rugby World Cup occurring just 5

minutes walk away we seem to have multitudes of visitors for pre game drinks in the hour or two before the game. I have easily thought through pre game snacks (hearty snacks considering the amount of drinking that occurs pre and during games), but when it struck me that I had visitors at lunchtime tomorrow I was at a bit of a loss. Of course there will be home made bread...John suggested peanut butter sandwiches (as if!).

For some reason I have come across Annabel Langbein's Bacon and Egg Pie several times recently.

I've never made bacon and egg pie...it might be something to do with the fact that for years

(a good 20 years actually) I haven't eaten red meat. Bacon has crept back in to my diet over the last few years. The idea fascinates me and after finding the recipe tonight I decided to make it.

Luckily I had pastry in the freezer...I'm not sure it is quite the right sort but surely savoury pastry is

pastry?

So, with fresh herbs from the garden and a spring onion that has slowly grown over winter in my

Green Smart planters, I have had a go at my first Bacon and Egg Pie.

My recipe was a smaller version than the one listed below.

Bacon and Egg Pie

3 sheets (450g) ready-rolled savoury shortcrust pastry

250g streaky bacon, cut into 2cm pieces

2 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked and thinly sliced

3 tbsp soft herbs (eg parsley, basil, chives or spring onion tops), chopped

14 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp salt ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Place a flat baking tray in the oven to heat - the pie will sit on this, and the heat will help it to crisp.

Cut a piece of baking paper to fit a 40 x 30cm (16 x 12 inch) baking dish or roasting pan. It should cover the base and reach about 3-4cm (1ý-1ý inches) up the sides.

Remove the baking paper from the baking dish or roasting pan and lay it flat on your bench.

Dust it with a little flour and lay 2 pastry sheets on top.

Join the pastry sheets by pressing them together firmly with a small overlap. Roll out the pastry to thinly cover the paper.

Lift the paper with the pastry and lay into the baking dish or roasting pan, covering the base and 3-4cm (1 1/4-1 1/2 inches) up the sides.

Sprinkle the bacon over the pastry.

Top with the slices of potato and sprinkle with the herbs.

Break 8 whole eggs over the top. In a mixing bowl, lightly whisk the remaining 6 eggs with the milk, salt and pepper.

Pour this evenly over the whole eggs.

Roll out the remaining sheet of pastry very thinly and cut it into narrow strips. Arrange the strips in a lattice pattern on top of the pie, trimming off any excess.

Place the prepared pie on top of the heated baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes until the pastry is starting to puff and turn golden.

Reduce the heat to 180C/350F and bake until the pastry is golden and cooked through on the base (this should take a further 35-40 minutes).

Serve warm or at room temperature with a salad and pickles or chutney.

It will keep in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days.