Chicken Pie Recipe | Classic British Chicken Pie

Ingredients

• 1 good quality free-range chicken, about 1.5 kg
• stock vegetables (a carrot, onion, celery stick, leek all cut into chunks)
• a bay leaf, 6 peppercorns, sprig or two of fresh thyme
• 50g butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 50g plain flour
• 50ml single cream or full-fat milk
• 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaved parsley
• 100g smoked ham, shredded
• 350g puff or shortcrust pastry made with butter
• beaten egg, to glaze
• salt and freshly ground black pepper