Delicious Beef Pie With Blue Cheese Crust

To make the blue cheese crust:

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, then stir through the Stilton. Using the largest holes of a grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour. Gently mix with a flat spatula, making sure that all the pieces are coated in flour – the butter should be left in pieces and not worked into the dough.

Add the chilled water and mix in. The pastry should come together in clumps – add a little extra water if necessary. When the dough holds together, press it into a ball and flatten to form a disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

For the filling:

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Heat the oil in a casserole dish over a medium heat and cook the bacon for 2 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, carrot and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender. Add the beef to the casserole dish and sprinkle with the flour. Mix well and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Stir in the Guinness, thyme and bay leaf and bring to the boil over medium heat. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours. Stir the meat occasionally as it cooks.

Remove from the oven and check the sauce. If it is a little watery, uncover and return to the oven to allow it to reduce. Stir in the parsley and season to taste. Allow to cool.

To assemble the pie:

Spoon the mixture into a large pie dish and insert a pie funnel (if using). Roll out the pastry to a size large enough to cover the pie. Brush the edges of the dish with some of the beaten egg. Cover the pie with the pastry, pressing down on the edges to seal. Trim away any excess pastry around the rim. If you like, you can roll these again, cut into shapes and use them to decorate the top of the pie.

Brush with the remaining beaten egg and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and has risen.