Chicken stroganoff pie with triple cooked chips

First you need to butcher the chicken. As you will only be using the breast meat in the pie you will need to separate the fillets down the spine. First remove the legs and wings, this will make it easier to peel the skin off the breast meat. Chop the rest of the carcass into chunks.

Roughly chop all of the vegetables and herbs and place in a large pot with the chicken carcass pieces on top, leaving the breasts to one side for the pie filling.

Fill with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 4 hours but take the lemon out after about 2 hours.

Add the salt to the flour then, using your finger tips, rub the sifted flour together with the butter until it becomes the texture of breadcrumbs. Add enough water to bind, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Roll out the pastry so it is slightly thinner than a pound coin, then grease the insides of each individual pie dish with some butter.

Lay the rolled pastry into the dishes, fitting it tightly to the sides and bottom of the dish, making sure to get rid of any air pockets.

Cut away the excess pastry and place the lined dishes back in the fridge for 5 minutes to firm before pouring in the pie filling.

Sift the flour and rub in the butter, as you would for the short crust pastry, but leave the butter in bigger flecks. Add a pinch of salt, then make a well in the centre and add the water gradually, pulling in the flour until it has formed into a ball.

Roll into a rectangle and fold into a neat square, keeping the seam at the side. Rotate, fold and roll two times then refrigerate for half an hour.

Remove from the fridge and repeat the folding twice. It is now ready to store in the fridge until ready to use.

Peel and chop the King Edward potatoes into chunky chip shapes. Soak for half an hour in cold water.

Strain and fill a saucepan with fresh salted water. Add the chips and bring to the boil. Cook until a knife easily enters the potato.

Strain the chips, lay them out on a tray and refrigerate for half an hour, minimum.

When ready, deep fry the chips in sunflower oil at about 160ºC for about 4 minutes until they are slightly crispy but gain no colour.

Lay the chips back on the tray and put back into the fridge.

Refry the chips about 5 minutes before the rest of the dish is ready for service at about 180ºC for another 4 minutes until the chips are brown and crispy.

Cut chicken into bite-size chunks and dust with half of the smoked paprika.

Gently heat a knob of butter in a pan. Add the onions and soften for 10 minutes, adding the garlic in the last 2 minutes.

In a separate pan, fry the chopped bacon lardons for about 10 minutes in hot olive oil until crispy.

Add the chopped mushrooms and thyme to the onions and garlic, add an extra knob of butter and fry for about 3 minutes.

Next add in the lardons and the brandy, using a match to flame and burn off the alcohol.

Strain the chicken stock and add 50–100ml to the pan. Allow to reduce by half - this should take about 10 minutes.

Heat some more butter in a pan and fry the chicken on a high heat for around 3 minutes to brown and seal in the flavour and moisture.

Add the sour cream, single cream, chicken and remaining paprika and stir, making the sauce thick and creamy.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Check the seasoning and then add the filling to the chilled short crust dish.

Place the puff pastry lid on top of the pies and seal the edge with the short crust pastry using the egg wash.

Brush the lid with the egg wash and score a cross in the top.

Cook the pie for around 30 minutes, allowing the pastry to become golden and crisp.

Remove the peas from the pods.

Place all the ingredients into a pan and cook with the lid on for about 4-5 minutes.

Remove the lid and crush the peas gently with the back of a spoon.

Serve alongside the pies in a small white dish.

Steam the broccoli until just tender.

Turn out the pie and place on one side of the plate. Pile the chips alongside together with the herby peas in a small white dish and a few stems of broccoli.