The Shepherdess – bits and pieces …

… and Take 2 – scaling down The Shepherdess.

I don't want my meals to look and taste like meat but by the same token I don't want a dish to be bland and boring. As “meaty” textures go, the nearest I get is a chestnut or portobello mushroom.

By the way, you can enhance the flavour of mushrooms, particularly those past their best, by adding a splash of red wine or very dry sherry. Anyway, I digress. My other passion is a good sauce. Using the “keep it simple” method we have mushrooms and chestnuts, a sauce - now comes a choice of lid.

I know that tradition dictates that the lid should be mashed potato as a topping. I prefer sliced cooked baked potatoes and I'd be tempted to add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese – 40g and a sprinkle of parsley. As is obvious from the previous photos I've used our old favourite the puff pastry lid. Individual pies are fab too – cut out circles of pastry to fit your dish. The world is your lobster!

Another thought … chestnuts have a certain sweetness – you don't have to use them – if you'd prefer not then add another 250g of chestnuts mushrooms.

As a guide I used a pie dish measuring 27x19x5 cms or 10½x7½x2” in old money. The recipe gives you approximately 800g of pie filling (1.764 lbs in old money).

Popping back to the individual pies – here's another idea. It uses the mushroom and chestnuts in the sauce as a base. In my house “parrots” are very popular – that's parsnips and carrots mashed together, well seasoned with salt and black pepper - I use celery salt, it has a fab flavour – don't forget a generous knob of butter (or two) too! That completes the next layer. For the topping, since I've always got baked jacket potatoes in my fridge, ready to use, I add a layer of cooked, sliced baked potatoes and garnish with the Parmesan and parsley.

This is a fly by the seat of your pants recipe – add a layer of any cooked veggies of your choice that you happen to have in your fridge. I always cook more veggies than I need – here's where it pays off!

You'll get 6 individual pies, based on the 800g of filling mentioned above and a pie dish measuring 10cms diameter x 5cms deep (4”x 2” in old money).

Freeze and use whenever. If you're a lone veggie as I am these scaled down Shepherdess pies are perfect for the freezer not to mention convenient – it works for me.

Here's a photo guide which I think you'll find helpful. All you need is a fork or a spoon if you prefer!