Chicken and mushroom pie

Ingredients
640g Rough Puff pastry or 2x 320g/11oz rolls of ready-rolled puff pastry
4 strips of cooked bacon cut into small pieces
2 chicken breasts cut into small pieces
1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
200g mushrooms chopped
30g butter
50g plain flour
300ml chicken stock
300ml milk
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
bunch of  fresh thyme

To decorate
1 egg

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200c. 
2. Roll out your pastry into two large pieces, one for the base and one for the top. 
3. Line your pie dish with one half of the rolled out pastry. And bake blind for 10 minutes.
4. To bake blind- Prick the base of the pastry several times with a fork. Line the pastry with baking parchment so that it completely covers the pastry and line with baking beans. Place in the oven to 'blind bake' for 10 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile start on the filling. Add oil to the pan and fry the chicken pieces in the oil until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. 
6. Add the butter and onions to the pan and turn down the heat to medium-high and cook until softened.
7. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and flour to the pan and stir until the onions are coated in the flour. 
8. Add the stock, adding it in a splash at a time, whilst stirring vigorously, to prevent lumps. Add the milk and continue to stir until the sauce starts to bubble and thickens. 
9. Add the mushrooms,  the previously cooked chicken and bacon and mix all together. Its ok the mushrooms are not cooked as they will cook in the oven.
10. Fill the pie base with the chicken mixture and top the pie with the remaining piece of pastry. Pinch the edges to seal. Generously brush the pastry with the beaten egg.
11. If you have any pastry left over or have trimmed off some edges, you can make decorative leaves and place at the centre of the pie. Again brush with the beaten egg.  Also pierce a couple of small holes in the top of the pie with a sharp knife, to let the air out during the cooking process. 
12. Place back in the oven at 200c and cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Techniques

Rough Puff pastry

Baking Blind