I made Woolton Pie for dinner but a key ingredient was missing

Woolton pie was created by chef Francois Latry at the Savoy Hotel in London during when rationing and food shortages meant certain , particularly meat, were off the menu. Named after the then Minister for Food, Fredrick Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton, the recipe for the vegetarian pie was shared with the public and became an easy go-to for a nutritious meal during a difficult time.

The pie usually consists of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and swede with spring onions, rolled oats, stock, and a pastry lid. But the can be adapted to whatever veggies you have, fitting in perfectly with wartime needs. Even the pastry lid can be made in several ways, and some opt for mashed potatoes, like a shepherd's pie.

With bags of vegetables, this pie was very inviting to me as I love my veggies, and I try not to eat a lot of meat, so this seemed like the perfect pie.

That said, I had a couple of issues that may have put me off making it again. The first of which is the prep.

I had to wash, peel and chop a lot of produce, and on a warm sunny evening, that was one of the last things I wanted to do, so be warned, preparation time can be at least 20 minutes.

The second thing that put me off a bit was the lack of seasonings. Traditionally, you only really have vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and parsley, and I am so used to putting garlic or a bit of balsamic in everything that this made me think it was quite bland.

Then I realised my error - because it says to add the salt and pepper after the vegetables have boiled and not with the water, I had forgotten.

I also thought the pie was too wet and became more like a stew with a pastry lid. This is fine, but not what I had expected.

Not all the water can evaporate as the vegetables themselves contain a bit of water and if you don't add enough water to the pan, they won't cook through.

The addition of the rolled oats helped thicken the water to form a sort of gravy, but it wasn't hugely appetising.

I cheated and used store-bought pastry for my lid, but the recipe was made for adaptations to suit your tastes which is why I would still make this again, but I would be tempted to put pastry on the bottom too and keep out excess water from the vegetables.

I would also add in some spices like some paprika, or even curry powder for an interesting kick of flavour.

This fed the family with a well-rounded healthy meal that I was happy to eat, although my husband said he would have liked some sausages with it - a perfect combination for the future I think.

Woolton pie recipe

Ingredients

1lb cauliflower
1lb swede
1lb carrots
1lb potatoes
A bunch of spring onions chopped
Two teaspoons of yeast extract (or a stock cube)
A tablespoon of rolled oats
Salt and pepper to taste once cooked.
Parsley (fresh or dried)

For a traditional pastry lid:

8oz wholemeal/wholewheat flour
4oz mashed potatoes
3oz margarine or lard
Two tsp of baking powder
Pinches of salt
Dash of water if needed

Method

Wash, peel, and chop all your vegetables ready for the pan. Cut the vegetables that take longer to cook into smaller pieces than the others so they can all soften at the same rate.

Add the vegetables to the pan with your vegetable stock (or yeast extract), rolled oats, and water to come up about 3/4. Cook until the vegetables are just soft; you don't want to overcook them.

Add salt and pepper when the vegetables are cooked, and add them to a pie dish.

This is when you can sprinkle on your parsley before topping with the pastry of your choice.

To make the traditional Woolton Pie pastry, add flour, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and rub in the fat you chose.

Then mix in the cold mashed potato and knead it into a dough before rolling it out to add as a pie crust to your dish, brushing it with milk before putting it in the oven.

Cook the pie for 30 minutes at 200C (gas mark six), or until the pastry is golden. Serve with brown gravy and enjoy.