Woolton pie

Ingredients

For the filling

• 1 lb potatoes – King Edward
• 2 lbs carrots
• ½ lb mushrooms
• 1 small leek
• 2oz margarine*
• 2 spring onions
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg, chopped parsley
• Bunch of herbs made of 1 small bay leaf, 1 small sprig of thyme, parsley and celery

For the pastry

• 80z (220g) plain wheatmeal flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2oz (50g) margarine*

*Dairy-free margarine if making suitable for vegans

Method

Woolton pie, a simple vegetable pie made using low-cost common ingredients, was invented by Savoy maître-chef François Latry (1919-1942), and named after the Minister for Food, Lord Woolton. It was offered on Savoy Restaurant menus and was intended to be a dish which ordinary housewives could recreate in their own homes in spite of the rationing restrictions at the time.

This recipe has been translated from an original Savoy Restaurant kitchen copy.

For the pastry

Blend 8oz (220g) plain wheatmeal flour with ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Rub in 2oz (50g) margarine or cooking fat or dripping, then add enough water to make a rolling consistency, although one that is slightly softer than when making pastry with white flour.

Roll out and use as in the individual recipe.

For the filling

Peel the potatoes and carrots, cut them into slices of the thickness of a penny. 

Wash them well and dry in a tea-cloth. Fry them separately in a frying pan with a little chicken fat (or vegetable or butter if making for vegetarians).  

Do the same for the mushrooms, adding the finely chopped onions and leek. 

Mix them together and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg and roughly chopped fresh parsley. 

Fill a pie-dish with this mixture, placing the bundle of herbs in the middle. Moisten with a little water. Allow to cool. 

Cover with a pastry crust and bake in (a moderate) oven for 1½ hours.