Cheese and Onion Pie
A Northern British staple: shortcrust pastry filled with sweated onions, mature cheddar and a small amount of mash to bind. Eats hot or cold; just as good in a packed lunch as on a Sunday plate.
Overview
A British pub-and-cafe classic, the vegetarian counter to the meat pies on every menu from Pendle to Penzance. You cook onions slowly in butter until they're very soft and sweet (this is the only step that matters; rush it and the pie tastes raw), then bind them with mashed potato and grated mature cheddar so the filling slices cleanly rather than collapsing the moment a knife touches it. The pie sits in a shortcrust pastry case with a shortcrust lid, gets an egg wash for shine, and bakes until the top is deep gold. Eaten warm with HP sauce or pickled red cabbage on the side, often with chips and gravy if it's a proper pub plate.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 350 g plain flour
- 175 g cold unsalted butter (cubed) or half butter half lard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4-6 tablespoons cold water
- 1 egg (beaten, for glaze)
Filling
- 4 onions (large, thinly sliced)
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 300 g floury potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- 400 g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
- 2 teaspoons English mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- salt
- pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Pastry
- Rub the butter into the flour and salt until breadcrumbs.
- Add cold water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a knife until the dough just comes together.
- Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
Stage 2 - Onions
- Melt the butter; cook the onions 20-25 minutes over medium-low heat with a pinch of salt until very soft, sweet and just starting to colour. Cool.
Stage 3 - Mash
- Boil the potatoes 12-15 minutes until tender; drain well; mash. Cool slightly.
Stage 4 - Filling
- Mix the onions, mash, cheese, mustard, thyme, salt and plenty of black pepper. Should be loose enough to spread, firm enough to hold shape.
Stage 5 - Assemble and bake
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Roll out two thirds of the pastry; line a 23 cm pie dish.
- Pile in the filling; level the top.
- Roll out the rest of the pastry; lay over; trim and crimp the edges. Cut a steam hole in the middle.
- Brush all over with beaten egg.
- Bake 35-40 minutes until deep golden. If browning too fast, cover loosely with foil.
- Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Onions need time: Rushing the onions gives a sharp, raw flavour. 20+ minutes for that mellow sweetness.
- Mature cheddar: Mild cheddar tastes flat in this. The sharper the better.
- Serve with: Pickles, brown sauce, salad, or mushy peas (proper Lancashire).
Storage
- Keeps 4 days refrigerated; reheat in a 180°C oven for 15 minutes to re-crisp the pastry.
- Freezes well baked or unbaked for 2 months.
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